Patent Application
20230033076
The present invention relates to an electrical connector.
An electrical connector, to which a counterpart connect body is connected such that the direction of insertion and extraction is the forward-backward direction, has been disclosed in Pat. Document 1. According to Pat. Document 1, a flat-type conductor (signal transmission medium) used as a strip-shaped counterpart connect body that extends in the forward-backward direction and is dimensionally thick in the up-down direction, is connected to the connector by insertion in the forward direction. Although the description of Pat. Document 1 assumes that the direction of insertion of the flat-type conductor is toward the rear and the direction of extraction is toward the front, the description herein assumes that the direction of insertion of the flat-type conductor is toward the front and the direction of extraction isward the rear. The connector of Pat. Document 1, which is mounted to the mounting face of a circuit board, has a multiple terminals, which are arranged such that the terminal array direction is the strip width direction of the flat-type conductor, retained in place within a housing. A receiving space for receiving the flat-type conductor is formed in the housing between its top and bottom walls so as to be rearwardly open.
The terminals, which are made by bending metal strip-shaped pieces in the through-thickness direction, each have a base portion that extends in the up-down direction, a flexible arm portion that extends toward the rear from the top end of the said base portion, and a board connection portion that extends forwardly from the bottom end of the base portion. Said terminals are attached to the housing from the front and are solder-connected to the mounting face of the circuit board with their board connection portions. A contact portion (raised terminal contact portion) that protrudes downwardly toward the receiving space and faces the top face of the bottom wall of the housing is formed in the rear end portion of the flexible arm portion. Said contact portion is adapted for resiliently contacting, from above, the flat-type conductor inserted into the above-mentioned receiving space.
[Pat. Document 1] Japanese Published Pat. Application No. 2012-212658.
In the connector of Pat. Document 1, the ease of insertion of the flat-type conductor and the state of contact between the contact portions and the flat-type conductor are greatly dependent on the relative size of the dimensions of the gap used for entry of the flat-type conductor at the location of the terminals in the terminal array direction. If the terminals are provided with protruding sections that protrude into the receiving space, the location of the protruding ends of the above-mentioned protruding sections in the up-down direction defines the dimensions of the above-mentioned gap. Therefore, it is extremely important to accurately identify the location of the protruding sections in the up-down direction, and manufactured connectors are often subject to inspections in order to identify the location of the above-mentioned protruding sections. The inspections are performed, for example, by emitting light into the above-mentioned receiving space from the rear and capturing images of the light’s reflection from the rear. When the connector of Pat. Document 1 is subjected to such an inspection, the location of the contact portions is identified based on the difference in brightness (contrast) between light reflected by the contact portions that protrude into the receiving space and light reflected by the interior of the receiving space in the captured images.
Typically, terminal contact portions often have inclined faces formed at the rear ends for guiding the flat-type conductor, in which case light emitted forward is unlikely to be reflected rearward by said inclined faces. In addition, in recent years, there is a strong demand for connector miniaturization and, thus, the rear end opening of the receiving space is often made to be small. If the rear end opening of the receiving space is small, then even if light is emitted into the receiving space from the rear at the time of inspection, a sufficient quantity of light is unlikely to reach the interior of the receiving space, i.e., locations forward of the terminal contact portions, and in such a case it is still necessary to ensure that light is readily reflected rearward by the above-mentioned interior. However, depending on the shape and location of the sections reflecting light in the interior of the receiving space, it is not always possible for light that reaches the interior to be reflected rearward, in which case it may be impossible to obtain a sufficient quantity of reflected light. Therefore, if a sufficient quantity of reflected light cannot be obtained, the images taken of the contact portions and those of the interior of the receiving space are both dark, which makes it impossible to capture clear images and thus difficult to identify the location of the contact portions during inspection.
In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector capable of clearly identifying the location of the protruding ends of protruding sections, such as terminal contact portions and the like.
In accordance with the present invention, the above-described problem is solved by electrical connectors according to the following first through third inventions.
The electrical connectors according to the first through third inventions, which are electrical connectors to which a counterpart connect body is forwardly connected such that the direction of insertion and extraction is the forward-backward direction, comprise a housing having formed therein a receiving space open toward the rear for receiving the counterpart connect body, and multiple terminals that are arranged and retained in the housing such that the terminal array direction is a direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction.
In the first invention, the terminals have a retained portion located forwardly of the receiving space and retained in the housing and a contact arm portion that extends toward the rear from the retained portion, the contact arm portion has a contact portion that protrudes toward the receiving space in the connector thickness direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction and the terminal array direction and is capable of contacting the counterpart connect body, said contact portion faces the interior surface of the receiving space across a gap in the connector thickness direction, the terminals have an extension portion located forwardly of the contact portion, the extension portion has a reflective portion in the rear end portion thereof, the reflective portion has a rear end face within a range that includes the protruding end of the contact portion when viewed from the rear, and the rear end face is formed as a reflecting surface capable of rearwardly reflecting light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space.
In the first invention, the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions of the terminals are located within a range that includes the protruding ends of the contact portions when viewed from the rear, and when the electrical connector is inspected, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space is reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions. In the first invention, the reflective portions are formed in the rear end portions of the extension portions located forwardly of the contact portions. Here, if the reflective portions are disposed at locations proximal to the contact portions in the forward-backward direction, it becomes possible to dispose the reflecting surfaces of said reflective portions at locations proximal to the contact portions in the forward-backward direction. In other words, given the constraint that the reflecting surfaces are disposed forwardly of the contact portions, the reflecting surfaces can be disposed as rearwardly as possible, that is, at locations proximal to the rear end opening of the receiving space. Therefore, even if the rear end opening of the receiving space is small, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space is likely to reach the reflecting surfaces and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces. As a result, it becomes easy to clearly identify the location of the contact portions by capturing clear inspection images with high contrast between the contact portions and the reflecting surfaces.
In the first invention, the reflecting surfaces may be formed within a range which, in addition to overlapping with the gap in the connector thickness direction, also includes the location of the interior surface of the receiving space that faces the contact portion. Forming the reflecting surfaces within such a range positions the reflecting surfaces in a manner that ensures inclusion of the location of the interior surface of the above-mentioned receiving space in the connector thickness direction when viewed from the rear, thereby making it easier to capture clear inspection images of the gap formed between the above-mentioned contact portions and the above-mentioned interior surface and thus allowing for the dimensions of the above-mentioned gap to be accurately measured.
In the second invention, the terminals have two arm portions and strut portions with major faces perpendicular to the terminal array direction, the two arm portions are located so as to sandwich the receiving space in the connector thickness direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction and the terminal array direction and extend in the forward-backward direction in parallel with each other, the strut portions extend in the connector thickness direction at locations forward of the receiving space and couple the two arm portions, at least one arm portion has a protrusion that protrudes toward the receiving space, at least one protrusion is a contact portion capable of contacting the counterpart connect body, either one of the arm portions has a reflective portion that protrudes toward the receiving space at a location forward of the protrusion, the reflective portion has a rear end face within a range that includes the protruding end of the at least one protrusion when viewed from the rear, and the rear end face is formed as a reflecting surface capable of rearwardly reflecting light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space.
In the second invention, in the same manner as in the first invention, when the electrical connector is inspected, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space is also reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions. Since in the second invention the reflective portions are provided in the arm portions of the terminals, said reflective portions can be located in front of the protrusions in close proximity to said protrusions. In other words, given the constraint that the reflecting surfaces are disposed forwardly of the protrusions, the reflecting surfaces can be disposed as rearwardly as possible, that is, at locations proximal to the rear end opening of the receiving space. Therefore, in the same manner as in the first invention, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space is likely to reach the reflecting surfaces and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces. As a result, it becomes easy to clearly identify the location of the protrusions by capturing clear inspection images.
In the second invention, the protrusions are formed in each of the two arm portions, such that one arm that has the reflective portion, in addition to having a recess portion open toward the receiving space, may have the reflective portion at the location of the front end of the recess portion and may have the protrusion at the location of the rear end of the recess portion, and the other arm portion may have the protrusion within the bounds of the recess portion in the forward-backward direction. With such a configuration of the terminals, a reflective portion formed in one arm portion is located in front of the protrusion formed in the one arm portion and the protrusion formed in the other arm portion, in close proximity to these protrusions. In other words, given the constraint that the reflecting surfaces are disposed forwardly of the protrusions, the reflecting surfaces can be disposed as rearwardly as possible, that is, at locations proximal to the rear end opening of the receiving space. Therefore, in the same manner as in the first invention, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space is likely to reach the reflecting surfaces and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces. As a result, it becomes easy to clearly identify the location of the protrusions with protruding ends located within the bounds of the above-mentioned reflecting surfaces by means of capturing inspection images.
In the first and second inventions, the reflecting surfaces may be formed as surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction. As a result of making the reflecting surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction in this manner, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space can be better reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions, which makes it easier to capture clear inspection images.
In the third invention, the terminals have a base portion located forwardly of the receiving space and a contact arm portion that extends toward the rear from the base portion, the contact arm portion has a contact portion that protrudes toward the receiving space in the connector thickness direction perpendicular to the forward-backward direction and the terminal array direction and is capable of contacting the counterpart connect body, the contact portion faces the interior surface of the receiving space across a gap in the connector thickness direction, the housing has formed therein a front space that is located forwardly of the receiving space and is in communication with the receiving space, the front space has an opening portion open to the receiving space on the side opposite to the contact portion in the connector thickness direction and that communicates with the exterior through the opening portion, the housing or the terminals have a reflective portion at a location overlapping with the opening portion when viewed through said opening portion, the reflective portion has an inclined face inclined so as to approach the opening portion as one moves forward within a range that includes the protruding end of the contact portion when viewed from the rear, and the inclined face is formed as a reflecting surface capable of rearwardly reflecting light emitted into the opening portion.
In an electrical connector into which a counterpart connect body is inserted, dimensions in the connector thickness direction are often made smaller than dimensions in the forward-backward direction, in which the counterpart connect body is connected. In the third invention, the opening portion into which light is emitted is open in the connector thickness direction, and the distance from the opening portion to the reflecting surface of the reflective portion in the connector thickness direction is shorter than the distance from the rear end opening of the receiving space to the reflecting surface of the reflective portion in the forward-backward direction. Therefore, at the time of inspection, light emitted into the opening portion in the connector thickness direction is likely to reach the reflecting surface in sufficient quantities and be reflected rearward by said reflecting surface forming the inclined face. In addition, the reflecting surface is located within a range that includes the protruding ends of the contact portions when viewed from the rear. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the location of the contact portions by capturing clear inspection images with high contrast between the contact portions and the reflecting surface using an imaging device (imaging portion) disposed behind the connector.
In the third invention, the reflecting surface may be formed within a range which, in addition to overlapping with the gap in the connector thickness direction, also includes the location of the interior surface of the receiving space that faces the contact portion. In the same manner as in the first invention, forming the reflecting surface within such a range positions the reflecting surface in a manner that ensures inclusion of the location of the interior surface of the above-mentioned receiving space in the connector thickness direction when viewed from the rear, thereby making it easier to capture clear inspection images of the gap formed between the above-mentioned contact portions and the above-mentioned interior surface and thus allowing for the dimensions of the above-mentioned gap to be accurately measured.
In the present invention, as described above, clear inspection images can be captured and the location of the contact portions can be easily identified due to the fact that light emitted from outside the connector is adequately reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions located within a range that includes the protruding ends of the contact portions when viewed from the rear.
Embodiments of the present invention will be discussed hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The connector 1 is mounted to a mounting face on a circuit board (not shown), and a flat-type conductor C (e.g., FPC) serving as a counterpart connect body, is adapted to be connected thereto so as to permit insertion and extraction such that the direction of insertion and extraction is a forward-backward direction (X-axis direction) parallel to said mounting face. The connector 1 puts the circuit board and the flat-type conductor C in electrical communication when the flat-type conductor C is connected. In the present embodiment, in the X-axis direction (forward-backward direction), direction X1 is toward the front and direction X2 is toward the rear. In addition, the connector width direction is the Y-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the forward-backward direction (X-axis direction) in a plane (XY plane) parallel to the mounting face of the circuit board, and the connector thickness direction is the Z-axis direction (up-down direction), which is perpendicular to the mounting face of the circuit board.
The flat-type conductor C, which extends in the forward-backward direction (X-axis direction) in the form of a flexible strip whose width direction is the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), has multiple circuits extending in the forward-backward direction formed in an array in the connector width direction. Said circuits are embedded within an insulating layer in the flat-type conductor C and extend in the forward-backward direction all the way to the front end of the flat-type conductor C. In addition, the above-mentioned circuits include connecting circuits C1 whose top face of the flat-type conductor C in its front end section is exposed, and can be brought into contact with first terminals 20 and second terminals 30 in the connector 1, to be described below. The connecting circuits C1 include first circuits C1A, which are in contact with the first terminals 20, and second circuits C1B, which are in contact with the second terminals 30, with the two types of circuits positioned alternately in the connector width direction while being offset in the forward-backward direction.
Further, the flat-type conductor C has cut-out portions C2 formed in the opposite side edges of the above-mentioned front end section, and the rear end edges of ears C3, which are located forwardly of said cut-out portions C2, operate as engageable portions C3A engaging the engaging portions 43A, to be described below, of the connector 1 (see
The connector 1 comprises a housing 10 made of plastic or another electrically insulating material, multiple first terminals 20 and second terminals 30 of sheet metal arranged such that the terminal array direction is the connector width direction and retained in the housing 10, locking members 40 of sheet metal arranged on opposite external sides of the terminal array range in the connector width direction, and a movable member 50 made of plastic or another electrically insulating material that can pivot between a closed position and an open position, to be described below, and the flat-type conductor C is adapted to be inserted and connected thereto from the rear.
The housing 10, as shown in
The receiving space 11, which has a rear end opening 11A that is enclosed by the top wall 12, the bottom wall 13, and the two side walls 14 and forms an insertion aperture for the flat-type conductor C (see
Along with being in a face-to-face relationship with the mounting face of the circuit board at a location below the top wall 12, the bottom wall 13 has its rear end within the terminal array range in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) positioned slightly forwardly of the rear end of the top wall 12 (see
In addition, as shown in
As seen in
As seen in
The front groove portion 18A is formed to pass in the forward-backward direction within a range extending from the top wall 12 to the bottom wall 13 in the up-down direction. As seen in
As shown in
The first terminals 20, which are fabricated by punching from metal plate members while keeping their major faces (rolled surface) flat, are accommodated within the first terminal accommodating portions 17 of the housing 10, as illustrated in
The first terminals 20 are press-fittingly mounted to the housing 10 from the front. As illustrated in
The first contact arm portion 24, which extends slopingly downward as one moves rearward, is resiliently displaceable in the up-down direction. A first contact portion 24A, which can be brought into contact with the first circuit C1A on the flat-type conductor C from above, is provided in a downwardly protruding configuration in the rear end portion of the first contact arm portion 24. The first contact portion 24A, which is located within the receiving space 11, faces the interior surface of the receiving space 11, in other words, the top face of the bottom wall 13 across a gap δ1 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction), which is the connector thickness direction. The rear end face of the first contact portion 24A, which slopes downward as one moves forward, forms a first guide face 24A-1 used for forwardly guiding the flat-type conductor C. The bottom portion of the first guide face 24A-1 constitutes the rear end face of the first contact portion 24A.
At the top and bottom edges of the base portion 21, the base portion 21, which has two press-fit protrusions 21A formed at the bottom edge, is press-fittingly retained by the upper interior wall surface and lower interior wall surface of the front groove portion 17A. The base portion 21 has a retained portion 22 that is formed and retained with dimensions encompassing the full extent of the front groove portion 17A in the up-down direction, and an extension portion 23 that extends toward the rear along the first contact arm portion 24 from the rear edge of the bottom portion of the retained portion 22.
The extension portion 23, which is made shorter than the first contact arm portion 24 in the forward-backward direction, is accommodated within the front groove portion 17A in its entirety and has a reflective portion 23A in its rear end portion. In the present embodiment, light emitted forwardly into the receiving space 11 during post-production inspection of the connector can be reflected back by the reflective portions 23A. The reflective portions 23A are formed as reflecting surfaces 23A-1, whose rear end faces (through-thickness faces) are flat surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction.
In the present embodiment, the reflecting surface 23A-1 is formed having the same dimensions as the gap δ1 in the connector width direction while having dimensions exceeding the gap δ1 in the up-down direction. Specifically, in the up-down direction, the reflecting surface 23A-1 is positioned so as to include the protruding end (bottom end) of the first contact portion 24A because the top end of the said reflecting surface 23A-1 is located above said protruding end, and is also positioned so as to include the location of the top face of the bottom wall 13 (interior surface of the receiving space 11) because the bottom end of the said reflecting surface 23A-1 is located below the top face of said bottom wall 13. In other words, when viewed from the rear, the reflecting surface 23A-1 is positioned within a range that includes the entire gap δ1.
Substantially the rear half of the projecting arm portion 25 forms a supported arm portion 25A that extends along the bottom wall 13 and is supported from below by the bottom wall 13. Substantially the front half of the projecting arm portion 25 extends forwardly and downwardly of the front end of the bottom wall 13 and forms a first connecting portion 25B that serves as an anchor portion solder-connected to the circuits (not shown) on the mounting face of the circuit board with its bottom edge portion. In addition, a protruding portion 25C, which protrudes from the top edge of the projecting arm portion 25, is formed at an intermediate location of the projecting arm portion 25 in the forward-backward direction. In the present embodiment, sections made up of the front edge portion of the retained portion 22, the supported arm portion 25A, and the protruding portion 25C are positioned so as to enclose the hereinafter-described first shaft body portions 54 of the movable member 50 from the rear, from below, and from the front, thereby forming first shaft restricting portions 20A that restrict the rearward, downward, and forward movement of the first shaft body portions 54.
The second terminals 30, which are fabricated by punching from metal plate members while keeping their major faces (rolled surface) flat, are accommodated within the second terminal accommodating portions 18 of the housing 10, as illustrated in
The second terminals 30 are press-fittingly mounted to the housing 10 from the rear. As illustrated in
The upper arm portion 31 has a restricting arm portion 32 that extends toward the front from the top end of the strut portion 37, and a second contact arm portion 33 that extends toward the rear from the top end of the strut portion 37. The restricting arm portions 32, which have their front end portions projecting into the movable member accommodating space 16, form second shaft restricting portions 32A located above the hereinafter-described second shaft body portions 55 of the movable member 50. The second shaft restricting portions 32A, which are positioned at a slight gap from the second shaft body portions 55 in the up-down direction, restrict the upward movement of the second shaft body portions 55. In the present embodiment, the previously discussed first shaft restricting portions 20A of the first terminals 20 restrict the movement of the first shaft body portions 54 and the second shaft restricting portions of the second terminals 30 restrict the movement of the second shaft body portions 55, thereby restricting the movement of the first shaft body portions 54, the second shaft body portions 55 (which are referred to collectively hereinbelow as “shaft body portions 54, 55” whenever necessary), and, by extension, the movable member 50 in a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, which, as a result, makes it possible to prevent the detachment of the movable member 50.
The second contact arm portion 33, as illustrated in
The lower arm portion 34 has a retained arm portion 35 that extends toward the front from the bottom end of the strut portion 37, and a projecting arm portion 36 that extends toward the rear from the bottom end of the strut portion 37. As illustrated in
Substantially the front half of the projecting arm portion 36 forms a rectilinear portion 36A that extends in a rectilinear manner in the forward-backward direction along the top face of the bottom wall 13. Substantially the rear half of the projecting arm portion 36 has a reinforcing portion 36B that is located rearwardly of the rear end of the bottom wall 13 and extends toward the rear and downward from the rectilinear portion 36A, and a second connecting portion 36C that extends rearwardly from the reinforcing portion 36B. The second connecting portion 36C is solder-connected to the circuits (not shown) on the mounting face of the circuit board with its bottom edge potion.
As illustrated in
The reinforcing portion 36B is made larger than the rectilinear portion 36A in the up-down direction, thereby avoiding a decrease in the strength of the reinforcing portion 36B itself due to the presence of the recess portion 36B-1. In addition, a front protrusion 36B-2 and a rear protrusion 36B-3, which protrude upwardly toward the receiving space 11 at the respective locations of the front and rear ends of the recess portion 36B-1, are formed at the top edge of the reinforcing portion 36B. The front protrusion 36B-2 is located forwardly of the second contact portion 33A, and the rear protrusion 36B-3 is located rearwardly of the second contact portion 33A. Therefore, once the flat-type conductor C has been inserted into the receiving space 11 and the second contact portion 33A has been brought into contact with the flat-type conductor C under contact pressure from above, the front protrusion 36B-2 and the rear protrusion 36B-3 support the flat-type conductor C from below. As a result, once pressure has been applied in the up-down direction at three points, i.e., the second contact portion 33A, the front protrusion 36B-2, and the rear protrusion 36B-3, the flat-type conductor C becomes securely clamped in the up-down direction, and inadvertent decoupling of the flat-type conductor C is prevented.
The bottom edge of the reinforcing portion 36B, which is positioned slightly above the bottom edge of the second connecting portion 36C, is adapted to avoid abutment against the mounting face of the circuit board when the connector 1 is disposed on said mounting face. Therefore, the second connecting portion 36C can be reliably connected to the circuits of the circuit board because a state in which the bottom edge of the reinforcing portion 36B would be located below the bottom edge of the second connecting portion 36C is unlikely to occur even if the bottom edge of the reinforcing portion 36B is located slightly downwardly of the normal design position because of fabrication errors.
The locking members 40, which are fabricated by punching from metal plate members while keeping their major faces (rolled surface) flat, are accommodated within the locking member accommodating portions 19 of the housing 10, as illustrated in
The locking members 40 are press-fittingly mounted to the housing 10 from the front. As illustrated in
The upper arm portion 41 has a pressure-receiving arm portion 42 that extends toward the front from the top end of the strut portion 45 and a locking arm portion 43 that extends toward the rear from the top end of the strut portion 45. As illustrated in
The locking arm portion 43, which extends slopingly downward as one moves rearward through the upper groove portion 19B, is resiliently displaceable in the up-down direction. An engaging portion 43A is provided in a downwardly protruding configuration in the rear end portions of the locking arm portions 43. The engaging portions 43A are positioned so as to permit entry into the notched portions C2 of the flat-type conductor C from above and engagement with engageable portions C3A from the rear when the movable member 50 is in the closed position (see
The mountable portion 44, which has a rearwardly open recumbent U-shaped configuration, is accommodated within the front groove portion 19A located forwardly of the receiving space 11. The mountable portion 44 has an upper clamping portion 44A and a lower clamping portion 44B, which are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction and extend in the forward-backward direction, and a coupling portion 44C that couples the front end portions of the upper clamping portion 44A and the lower clamping portion 44B. The upper clamping portion 44A is resiliently displaceable in the up-down direction and, as illustrated in
The strut portion 45 extends upward from the upper clamping portion 44A at a location proximal of the rear end of the upper clamping portion 44A, and is coupled to the upper arm portion 41. The projecting arm portion 46, which is positioned at the same height in the up-down direction as the lower clamping portion 44B, extends forwardly from the front end of said lower clamping portion 44B and projects into the movable member accommodating space 16. The front end portion of the projecting arm portion 46, which is formed as an anchor portion 46A used for anchoring to the mounting face of the circuit board, is adapted to be anchored to the mounting face with the bottom edge portion of said anchor portion 46A using solder connections.
As illustrated in
As shown in
As shown in
The second shaft body portions 55 are provided in the same positions as the second terminals 30 in the connector width direction and, as shown in
The cam portions 56 are provided in the same positions in the connector width direction as the locking members 40 and, as shown in
The pivotal center O, through which the pivotal axis of the movable member 50 passes, is shown in each view of
In the present embodiment, positioning the pressure-receiving portions 42A formed in the front end portions of the pressure-receiving arm portions 42 of the locking members 40 downwardly of the other parts of the pressure-receiving arm portions 42 makes it possible to provide the cam portions 56 of the movable member 50 in a lower position in comparison with forming the entire pressure-receiving arm portion 42 in a rectilinear manner even though the cam portions 56 of the movable member 50 are located above the pressure-receiving portions 42A, and, as a result, makes it possible to achieve a reduction in the profile, i.e., miniaturization in the up-down direction, of the connector 1.
In addition, in the present embodiment, positioning the pressure-applying portions 56A of the cam portions 56 in the movable member 50 within the bounds of the shaft body portions 54 and 55 in the up-down direction achieves a reduction in the profile of the movable member 50 and, by extension, the connector 1 in comparison with positioning the pressure-applying portions 56A outside the range of the shaft body portions 54 and 55 in the up-down direction. Further, since the pressure-applying portions 56A of the cam portions 56 are located within the bounds of the shaft body portions 54 and 55 in the up-down direction, the pressure-applying portions 56A are located in the vicinity of the pivotal axis, in other words, pivotal center O of the movable member 50. Therefore, it becomes easy to apply pressure to the pressure-receiving portions 42A with the pressure-applying portions 56A from above without maximizing the size of the cam portions 56.
At such time, the closer the pressure-applying portions 56A are to the pivotal axis, the greater the force (pressure force) required to depress the pressure-receiving portions 42A with the pressure-applying portions 56A when moving the movable member 50 from the closed position to the open position during the unlocking operation. However, in the present embodiment, the locking members 40 are disposed only on opposite external sides of the terminal array range and the number of the provided locking members 40 is small. Furthermore, in the process of pivoting of the movable member, the first shaft restricting portions 20A of the first terminals 20 do not come into contact with the first shaft body portions 54 of the movable member 50 and no contact pressure is generated therebetween. In addition, in the process of pivoting of the movable member 50, the second shaft restricting portions 32A of the second terminals 30 are only temporarily lifted up by the corner portions 55A of the second shaft body portions 55, and the duration of the contact pressure therebetween is therefore short. As a result, the actuating force (unlocking actuating force) required to move the movable member 50 from the closed position to the open position is decreased, which makes it possible to easily perform the unlocking operation even if the above-mentioned pressure force increases during the unlocking operation.
Although in the present embodiment the movable member 50 is adapted to move between the closed position and the open position simply by pivoting about a pivotal axis extending in the connector width direction, the way of movement of the movable member 50 is not limited thereto, and it may, for example, be adapted to pivot in combination with sliding movement.
The connector 1 is assembled in accordance with the following procedure. First, the first terminals 20 and the locking members 40 are mounted to the housing 10 from the front. Specifically, the base portions 21 of the first terminals 20 are press-fitted into the front groove portions 17A of the housing 10 (see
Next, the movable member 50 is disposed in the movable member accommodating space 16 of the housing 10. Specifically, the first shaft body portions 54 are disposed in the spaces surrounded by the first shaft restricting portions 20A formed by the front end portions of the retained portions 22 of the first terminals 20, the supported arm portions 25A, and the protruding portions 25C (see
In the present embodiment, an inspection to confirm whether the vertical dimensions of the gap through which the flat-type conductor C enters at the location of the first contact portions 24A of the first terminals 20 are properly ensured or not is carried out upon completion of assembly of the connector 1. With respect to the first terminals 20, the term gap, as used herein, refers to the vertical dimensions of the space between the first contact portions 24A and the top face of the bottom wall 13 of the housing 10 facing the same, which is designated as δ1 in
The inspection device (not shown) used for inspection, which is provided behind the connector 1, has an emitting portion (not shown) that emits light forwardly toward the receiving space 11 of the housing 10, an imaging portion (not shown) that captures images (inspection images) of the connector 1 as seen from the rear, and a measuring portion (not shown) that analyzes the captured inspection images and measures the vertical dimensions of the gap δ1.
At the time of inspection, when light is emitted forwardly from the emitting portion toward the receiving space 11, the light that reaches the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 of the first terminals 20 is reflected back, i.e., toward the rear end opening 11A, by said reflecting surfaces 23A-1. In the present embodiment, the first guide faces 24A-1, which constitute the rear end faces of the first terminals 20, are inclined faces sloping downward as one moves forward, and the light that reaches the first guide faces 24A-1 is unlikely to be reflected toward the rear end opening 11A.
Therefore, in the inspection images captured by the imaging portion, the first contact portions 24A become darker, and the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 become lighter. In other words, clear inspection images with high contrast between the first contact portions 24A and the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 are obtained. As a result, the location of the protruding ends (bottom ends) of the first contact portions 24A in the inspection images can be easily determined, which makes it possible for the measuring portion to precisely measure the vertical dimensions of the gap δ1.
In the present embodiment, positioning the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 within a range that includes the entire gap δ1 as previously discussed makes it possible for light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space 11 to be adequately reflected back by the reflecting surface 23A-1. In addition, since the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 are formed as surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction in the forward-backward direction, light can be reflected back by the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 in a more adequate manner.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the reflective portions 23A are formed in the rear end portions of the extension portions 23 extending toward the rear from the retained portions 22, which makes it possible to dispose the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 closer to the first contact portions 24A in the forward-backward direction. In other words, given the constraint that the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 are disposed forwardly of the first contact portions 24A, the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 can be disposed as rearwardly as possible, in other words, at locations close to the rear end opening 11A of the receiving space 11. Therefore, even though the rear end opening 11A of the receiving space 11 is small, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space 11 is likely to reach the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected back by the reflecting surfaces 23A-1. As a result, it becomes easy to capture clear inspection images with high contrast between the first contact portions 24A and the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 and determine the location of the first contact portions 24A, which makes it possible to accurately measure the dimensions of the gap δ1.
Although in the present embodiment the extension portions 23 provided with the reflective portions 23A are arm-shaped sections that extend toward the rear from the rear ends of the retained portions 22, the form of the extension portions is not limited thereto. For example, the extension portions may be arm-shaped sections of a substantially L-shaped configuration that extend downward from the bottom edge of the front end sections of the contact arm portions 24 and then extend further rearward. In such a case, the reflective portions are formed in the rear end portions of the rearwardly extending sections, and the reflecting surfaces are formed on the rear end faces of said rear end portions. In addition, the extension portions may be arm-shaped sections or protrusion-shaped sections that extend downward from the bottom edges of the front end sections of the contact arm portions 24. In such a case, the reflective portions are formed in the bottom end portions of the extension portions, and the reflecting surfaces are formed on the rear end faces of said bottom end portions.
In addition, although in the present embodiment the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 are located within a range that includes the entire gap δ1, it is not essential for the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 to be located within a range that includes the entire gap δ1 as long as sufficient reflected light can be obtained to determine the location of the first contact portions 24A. For example, the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 may be provided within a range that overlaps with a portion of the gap δ1 while including the protruding ends of the contact portions. In addition, although in the present embodiment the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction, it is not essential for the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 to be surfaces perpendicular to the forward-backward direction as long as sufficient reflected light can be obtained to determine the location of the first contact portions 24A, and these surfaces may be, for example, somewhat curved or somewhat inclined.
The operations of insertion and extraction of the flat-type conductor C into and from the connector 1 will be described below.
First, the first connecting portions 25B of the first terminals 20 and the second connecting portions 36C of the second terminals 30 of the connector 1 are solder-connected to the corresponding circuits of the circuit board (not shown) and the anchor portions 46A of the locking members 40 are solder-connected to the corresponding portions of the circuit board. The connector 1 is mounted to the circuit board using the solder connections of these first connecting portions 25B, second connecting portions 36C, and anchor portions 46A.
Next, as shown in
In the process of insertion of the flat-type conductor C into the receiving space 11, the front end of the flat-type conductor C, first, resiliently displaces the second contact arm portions 33 upward by abutting the second guide faces 33A-1 of the second contact portions 33A of the second terminals 30 and pushing the second contact portions 33A upward under the action of the upward component of the abutment force. As the flat-type conductor C is inserted further forward while being guided by the second guide faces 33A-1, the front end of said flat-type conductor C resiliently displaces the first contact arm portions 24 upward by abutting the first guide faces 24A-1 of the first contact portions 24A of the first terminals 20 and pushing said first contact portions 24A up. The flat-type conductor C is inserted further forward while being guided by the first guide faces 24A-1.
As illustrated in
In addition, in the process of insertion of the flat-type conductor C into the receiving space 11, specifically, when the front end of the flat-type conductor C passes the location of the second contact portions 33A and before it reaches the location of the first contact portions 24A, the ear portions C3 located proximal of the opposite ends of the flat-type conductor C in the width direction abut the inclined faces 43A-1 of the engaging portions 43A formed in the locking arm portions 43 of the locking members 40. Then, as the flat-type conductor C is inserted further forward while being guided by the inclined faces 43A-1, the engaging portions 43A are lifted up under the action of the vertical component of the force of abutment against the inclined faces 43A-1.
In the present embodiment, the locking arm portions 43, strut portions 45, and upper clamping portions 44A of the locking members 40 are resiliently displaceable, and the spring length is the length of the range encompassing these sections. Therefore, when the ear portions C3 of the flat-type conductor C lift the engaging portions 43A, the locking arm portions 43, strut portions 45, and upper clamping portions 44A effect rocking motion about the coupling portions 44C of the mountable portions 44 as fulcra and are resiliently displaced upward (Z1 direction), and, as a result, further insertion of the flat-type conductor C is permitted.
When the flat-type conductor C is inserted further forward and the ear portions C3 pass the location of the engaging portions 43A, the locking arm portions 43 are displaced downward (Z2 direction) such that the amount of resilient displacement is reduced and they return to a free state, thus push-fitting into the notched portions C2 of the flat-type conductor C. As a result, the engageable portions C3A of the flat-type conductor C are positioned so as to permit engagement with the engaging portions 43A forwardly of said engaging portions 43A, and rearward extraction of the flat-type conductor C is prevented (see
The operation of insertion of the flat-type conductor C is complete when, as shown in
When the flat-type conductor C in the condition illustrated in
As the movable member 50 is pivoted from the closed position to the open position, the first shaft body portions 54 of the movable member 50 do not come into contact with the first shaft restricting portions 20A made up of the front end portions of the retained portions 22 of the first terminals 20, the supported arm portions 25A, and the protruding portions 25C. On the other hand, in the second shaft body portions 55 of the movable member 50, immediately after the movable member 50 starts pivoting toward the open position, the corner portions 55A of the second shaft body portions 55 abut the second shaft restricting portions 32A from below and bring said second shaft restricting portions 32A to a state of resilient displacement by slightly lifting them up. Then, as the movable member 50 pivots further and reaches the open position, as illustrated in
In addition, since in the present embodiment, as previously discussed, resilient displacement is made possible not only in the locking arm portions 43 and strut portions 45, but also in the upper clamping portions 44A of the mountable portions 44, a longer spring length is correspondingly ensured. In addition, since the upper clamping portions 44A, which form part of the mountable portions 44 used for mounting the locking members 40 to the housing 10, are used as resiliently displaceable sections, there is no need to provide new sections in the locking members 40 or make the locking arm portions 43 and strut portions 45 longer in order to increase the spring length, and no increase in the size of the connector 1 occurs.
Although in the present embodiment, the upper clamping portions 44A of the mountable portions 44 of the locking members 40 are resiliently displaced upward along with the locking arm portions 43 and the strut portions 45 in the process of insertion and extraction of the flat-type conductor C, the lower clamping portion 44B is not resiliently displaced upward. Therefore, since the upper clamping portion 44A and the lower clamping portion 44B in the mountable portion 44 are spaced apart because only the upper clamping portion 44A is displaced upward, the clamping force applied by the mountable portion 44 to the mounting portion 13A of the housing 10, i.e., the strength of attachment of the mountable portion 44, may be somewhat decreased.
However, the operations of insertion and extraction of the flat-type conductor C are performed after mounting the connector 1 to the mounting face of the circuit board, i.e., after anchoring the anchor portions 46A of the locking members 40 to the mounting face of the circuit board using solder connections. Therefore, even though the upper clamping portions 44A and the lower clamping portions 44B of the mountable portions 44 are spaced apart and the clamping force is somewhat decreased, the locking members 40 do not become detached from the housing 10 because the locking members 40 are already anchored to the circuit board at this point in time.
In addition, although in the present embodiment the lower clamping portion 44B is not resiliently displaced upward when the upper clamping portion 44A of the mountable portion 44 is resiliently displaced upward, as an alternative, both the upper clamping portion 44A and the lower clamping portion 44B may be resiliently displaced upward. By doing so, the condition in which the mounting portion 13A of the housing 10 is clamped by the upper clamping portion 44A and the lower clamping portion 44B is maintained even in the state of resilient displacement. As a result, the decrease in the strength of attachment of the mountable portion 44 to the housing 10 can be minimized.
Although in the present embodiment the locking members 40 are provided with mountable portions 44 having upper clamping portions 44A, lower clamping portions 44B, and coupling portions 44C, and the upper clamping portions 44A are resiliently displaceable along with the locking arm portions 43 and the strut portions 45, as long as the magnitude of the unlocking actuating force is kept to an acceptable level, the spring length of the terminals can be increased by adopting a configuration similar to that of the locking members 40 for at least one type of terminal from among the first terminals and second terminals.
If a configuration similar to that of the locking members 40 is applied to the terminals, said terminals are provided with upper arm portions, mountable portions, strut portions, and connecting portions (anchor portions). In addition, the upper arm portions are provided with a pressure-receiving arm portion that extends forwardly from the top end of the strut portion and has a pressure-receiving portion formed in the front end portion, and a contact arm portion that extends rearwardly from the top end of the strut portion and has a contact portion formed in the rear end portion. Furthermore, above the pressure-receiving portions of the pressure-receiving arm portions, the movable member is provided with cam portions similar to the cam portions 56 and the movable member 50 of the present embodiment.
If the terminals are configured in this manner, as the movable member moves to the open position when the flat-type conductor is extracted, the cam portions of the movable member depress the pressure-receiving portions, and the contact arm portions, strut portions, and upper clamping portions of the mountable portions are resiliently displaced upward. As a result, contact between the contact portions of the contact arm portions and the circuits of the flat-type conductor is broken.
Even though the spring length is increased with the terminals configured in this manner, no increase in the size of the connector occurs and, in addition, even though the strength of attachment of the mountable portion to the housing is somewhat reduced, the terminals do not become detached from the housing in the same manner as described above for the locking members 40.
In the previously discussed embodiment, the component facing the first contact portions 24A of the first terminals 20 in the up-down direction is the bottom wall 13 of the housing 10, which is a component separate from the first terminals 20. Therefore, once the first terminals 20 are attached to the housing 10, errors in the regular dimensions of the gap between the first contact portions 24A and the bottom wall 13 will be relatively more likely to occur due to the fact that the first contact portions 24A are positioned with an offset from the regular location in the up-down direction. Accordingly, in the previously discussed embodiment, the accuracy of measurement of the dimensions of the gap δ1 was improved as a result of enabling capture of clear inspection images and facilitating the identification of the location of the first contact portions 24A by providing reflective portions 23A in the first terminals 20.
Meanwhile, in the case of the second terminals 30, dimensional errors are relatively less likely to occur in the gap formed between the second contact portions 33A and the projecting arm portions 36 because the second contact arm portions 33 provided with the second contact portions 33A and the projecting arm portions 36 that face the second contact portions 33A across a gap in the up-down direction are formed simultaneously in the same components, that is, in the second terminals 30, by punching a single sheet metal member. Therefore, compared to the first terminals 20, in the case of the second terminals 30, there is less need to provide reflective portions in order to obtain clear inspection images and, for this reason, no reflective portions are provided in the second terminals 30 in the previously discussed embodiment.
However, if clear inspection images could be obtained by providing reflective portions in the second terminals 30 as well, this would be desirable from the standpoint of being able to more accurately measure the vertical dimensions of the gap between the second contact portions 33A and the projecting arm portions 36.
An alternative example, in which the second terminals are provided with reflective portions, is described hereinbelow.
As shown in
When the connector 101 is inspected, light emitted forwardly from the emitting portion (not shown) of the inspection device toward the receiving space 111 is reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B. In this alternative example, the reflective portions 136B-2A are formed in the front protrusions 136B-2 of the projecting arm portions 136. Since the front protrusions 136B-2 are provided at the front end of the recess portions 136B-1 that face the second contact portions 133A of the second contact arm portions 133, the reflective portions 136B-2A formed in these front protrusions 136B-2 are located in front of the second contact portions 133A, in close proximity to the second contact portions 133A. In other words, given the constraint that the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B are disposed forwardly of the second contact portions 133A, the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B can be disposed as rearwardly as possible, that is, at locations proximal to the rear end opening 111A of the receiving space 111. Therefore, light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space 111 is likely to reach the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B. As a result, it becomes easy to identify the location of the second contact portions 133A by capturing clear inspection images.
In addition, in this alternative example, providing the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B within a range that includes not only the bottom ends of the second contact portions 133A, but also the top ends of the rear protrusions 136B-3 in the up-down direction, makes it easy to identify the location of the rear protrusions 136B-3 and, as a result, allows for the dimensions of the gap δ2 to be measured more accurately. It should be noted that providing the rear protrusions 136B-3 is not essential in this alternative example as long as sufficient contact pressure is obtained between the first terminals 120 and second terminals 130 and the flat-type conductor.
Since the embodiment discussed previously with reference to
As described above, in this alternative example, providing reflecting surfaces (not shown) makes it possible to easily identify the location of the first contact portions 124A in the first terminals 120, and providing the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B makes it possible to easily identify the location of the rear protrusions 136B-3 in the second terminals 130. Therefore, measuring the gap between the first contact portions 124A and the rear protrusions 136B-3 in the inspection images makes it possible to more accurately determine whether or not a proper gap has been ensured for inserting the flat-type conductor at the location of the first terminals 120.
As discussed previously, in this alternative example, the front protrusions 136B-2, which have the reflecting surfaces 136B-2B, are located so as to protrude into the receiving space 111 to a height extending upward of the bottom ends of the second contact portions 133A. However, the insertion of the flat-type conductor into the interior of the receiving space 111 is made possible by the fact that the flat-type conductor (not shown) inserted into the receiving space 111 resiliently displaces the second contact portions 133A upward and, in addition, by the fact that the flat-type conductor itself undergoes flexural deformation in the thickness direction (up-down direction) thereof.
In the first alternative example illustrated in
The description hereinbelow will focus on the second terminals 230 of the alternative example of
As shown in
When the connector 101 is inspected, light emitted forwardly from the emitting portion (not shown) of the inspection device toward the receiving space 211 is reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces 236B-2B. In this alternative example, the reflective portions 236B-2A are formed in the front protrusions 236B-2 of the projecting arm portions 236. Therefore, due to the fact that in this alternative example, similar to the first alternative example described above with reference to
In this alternative example, the front protrusions 236B-2, which have reflecting surfaces 236B-2B, are located so as to protrude into the receiving space 211 to a height extending upward of the top ends of the rear protrusions 236B-3. However, the insertion of the flat-type conductor into the interior of the receiving space 211 is made possible by the fact that the flat-type conductor (not shown) inserted into the receiving space 211 resiliently displaces the second contact portions 233A upward and, in addition, by the fact that the flat-type conductor itself undergoes flexural deformation in the thickness direction (up-down direction) thereof. In addition, since in this alternative example the front protrusions 236B-2 are formed as to be positioned lower than the front protrusions 136B-2 in the first alternative example (see
Although in the previously discussed first and second alternative examples the rear protrusions 136B-3 and 236B-3 did not have the functionality of contact portions placed in electrical communication with the circuitry of the flat-type conductor, the functionality of contact portions may be imparted to the rear protrusions 136B-3, 236B-3, either instead of the second contact portions 133A, 233A or in addition to the second contact portions 133A, 233A. In such a case, circuits intended for contact with the rear protrusions 136B-3, 236B-3 are formed in an exposed condition on the bottom face of the flat-type conductor.
Although in the first embodiment the inspection intended to measure the dimensions of the gap δ1 formed at the location of the first contact portions 24A of the first terminals 20 was carried out by causing light emitted forwardly toward the receiving space 11 to be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces 23A-1 of the reflective portions 23A and acquiring inspection images captured from the rear, the way the inspection is conducted is not limited thereto. The second embodiment, in which light is emitted from below, is different in this regard from the first embodiment, in which light is emitted from the rear. Specifically, the second embodiment is adapted to emitting light into the front space located forwardly of the receiving space from below, causing this light to be reflected rearward by the reflecting surfaces of the reflective portions located within the front space, and acquiring inspection images by capturing images of the connector from the rear.
The connector 301 according to the present embodiment, which comprises a housing 310 made of an electrically insulating material, multiple first terminals 320 and second terminals 330 made of metal, which are arranged such that the terminal array direction is the connector width direction and are retained by molding integrally with the housing 310, a movable member 350 made of an electrically insulating material, which is pivotable with respect to the housing 310 between a closed position and an open position, and front fittings 360 and rear fittings 370 disposed on opposite external sides of the terminal array range in the connector width direction, is adapted to have a flat-type conductor (not shown) connected thereto by insertion from the rear. Below, when there is no need to distinguish between the first terminals 320 and the second terminals 330, the two types of terminals will be referred collectively as “terminals 320, 330”.
The flat-type conductor connected by insertion into connector 301 has the same configuration as the flat-type conductor C connected by insertion into connector 1 in the first embodiment. In other words, a first circuit and a second circuit are exposed on the top face of the front end section of the flat-type conductor and, in addition, notched portions are formed in the opposite side edges of the flat-type conductor in the width direction and engageable portions are formed at the rear end edges of the ear portions located forwardly thereof.
In the present embodiment, the movable member 350, which is adapted to be pivotable about a pivotal axis extending in the connector width direction on the rear end side of the connector 301, engages the engageable portions (not shown) of the flat-type conductor from the rear in the closed position with the engaging portions (not shown) provided in said movable member 350, thereby preventing rearward decoupling of the flat-type conductor.
The housing 310 has a bottom wall 313 that extends parallel to the mounting face (not shown) of the circuit board; two side walls 314 which, in addition to upwardly rising at the locations of the opposite ends of the bottom wall 313 in the connector width direction, extend in the forward-backward direction; and a front wall 315 which, while rising at the location of the front end of the bottom wall 313, extends in the connector width direction and couples the two side walls 314.
The space enclosed by the front wall 315 and the two side walls 314 above the bottom wall 313 has formed therein a receiving space 311 for receiving a flat-type conductor from the rear, and the top portion of a front space 310A located forwardly of said receiving space 311.
As shown in
As shown in
In addition, a space enclosed by the front frame portion 313A, rear frame portion 313B, and lateral frame portions 313C is formed in the bottom wall 313 as a bottom aperture portion 313D that extends in the up-down direction. Within the bottom aperture portion 313D, a space located forwardly of the receiving space 311 in the forward-backward direction constitutes the bottom portion of the previously discussed front space 310A. In other words, as shown in
As shown in
The front wall 315 has a reflective portion 315A in the rear end portion located above the cutout space 310A-2, that is, located so as to overlap with the opening portion 310A-1 when viewed from below. The bottom face of the reflective portion 315A, i.e., the surface forming the upper interior wall surface of the cutout space 310A-2, is a flat inclined face that slopes downward as one moves forward, with said inclined face formed as a reflecting surface 315A-1 capable of rearwardly reflecting light emitted into the opening portion 310A-1 from below.
The reflecting surface 315A-1 is formed such that it has a region of overlap with the gap δ3 (see
In the present embodiment, the terminals 320, 330 are made using a process wherein strips of rolled sheet metal whose dimension in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) is the terminal width direction are bent in the through-thickness direction. The first terminals 320 and second terminals 330 are differently shaped and are arranged in an alternating manner in the connector width direction.
As shown in
The first base portion 321, which extends through the front frame portion 313A and the front wall 315 in the up-down direction, is retained in an embedded state within the front frame portion 313A and the front wall 315 by being molded integrally therewith. The first contact arm portion 322 extends straight from the top end of the first base portion 321 toward the rear and then slopes slightly downward as one moves rearward. The first contact arm portion 322 has a first contact portion 322A formed by bending such that it protrudes downwardly, i.e., toward the receiving space 311, in its rear end portion. The first contact portion 322A, which is located within the receiving space 311, is adapted to be brought into contact with the corresponding circuits of the flat-type conductor as a result of upwardly directed resilient displacement of the first contact arm portion 322 when the flat-type conductor is inserted into the receiving space 311. The first connecting portion 323, which projects forwardly from the front frame portion 113A of the housing 110, is adapted to have its bottom face solder-connected to the circuits of the circuit board (not shown).
As shown in
As shown in
The retained arm portion 333, which extends over a range that extends from the front frame portion 313A of the bottom wall 313 to the rear frame portion 313B in the forward-backward direction, has its front end portion retained in place by the front frame portion 313A and its rear end portion retained in place by the rear frame portion 313B as a result of being molded integrally therewith. The rear end portion of the retained arm portion 333 is bent downwardly within the rear frame portion 313B, and the second connecting portion 334 extends toward the rear from its bottom end, i.e., the rear end of the retained arm portion 333. The second connecting portion 334, which projects toward the rear from the rear frame portion 313B, has its bottom face adapted to be solder-connected to the circuits of the circuit board (not shown).
As can be seen in
The main body portion 351 extends over a range that includes the terminal array range in the connector width direction and covers the terminals 320, 330 from above in the closed position. As shown in
The locking arm portions 351A, which are adapted to be resiliently displaceable in the up-down direction when the movable member 350 is in the closed position, have downwardly protruding engaging portions (not shown) formed in the rear end portions thereof. Said engaging portions, which are push-fitted into the receiving space 311 of the housing 310 from above when the movable member 350 is in the closed position, are positioned so as to permit engagement with the engageable portions of the flat-type conductor inserted into the receiving space 311 from the rear and are adapted to prevent inadvertent decoupling of the flat-type conductor.
As can be seen in
The front fittings 360 and the rear fittings 370 are made by bending strip-shaped planar members in the through-thickness direction. As shown in
As shown in
The operation of insertion of the flat-type conductor into connector 301 is performed when the movable member 350 is in the closed position. In the process of insertion of the flat-type conductor, the front end of the flat-type conductor abuts the first contact portions 322A of the first terminals 320, the second contact portions 332A of the second terminals 330, and the engaging portions of the locking arm portions 351A of the movable member 350 from the rear, thereby causing the first contact arm portions 322, the second contact arm portions 332, and the locking arm portions 351A to be resiliently displaced upward under the action of the upward component of the abutment force, and the flat-type conductor moves further forward. Once the insertion of the flat-type conductor is complete, the first contact portions 322A and the second contact portions 332A are brought into contact with the circuits on the top face of the flat-type conductor under contact pressure from above. In addition, the flat-type conductor is prevented from decoupling due to the fact that the engaging portions of the locking arm portions 351A are located so as to permit engagement from the rear with the engageable portions of the flat-type conductor.
In addition, when the flat-type conductor is extracted, the movable member 350 is pivoted to the open position. As a result, the engaging portions of the locking arm portions 351A move upward, thereby disengaging said engaging portions from the engageable portions of the flat-type conductor and making it possible to extract the flat-type conductor from the connector 301 without difficulty by pulling on it in the rearward direction.
As shown in
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, in which the emitting portion (not shown) of the inspection device is provided under the connector 301, and the imaging portion (not shown) of the inspection device is provided behind the connector 301, light is emitted by the emitting portion from below connector 301, said light is reflected rearward by the reflecting surface 315A-1 of the front wall 315, and inspection images are captured by the imaging portion from behind the connector 301. At such time, the emitting portion of the inspection device is provided under the front space 310A of the housing 310, and emits light from below into the opening portion 310A-1 or, more particularly, into the bottom end opening of the cutout space 310A-2. The emitted light is reflected rearward by the reflecting surface 315A-1 of the reflective portion 315A. The imaging portion of the inspection device captures inspection images of the connector 301 from the rear. A measuring portion of the inspection device (not shown) can then identify the location of the first contact portions 322A by analyzing the inspection images. Furthermore, it can measure the vertical dimensions of the gap δ3 between the first contact portions 322A and the rear frame portion 313B.
In the present embodiment, the distance from the opening portion 310A-1 to the reflecting surface 315A-1 in the up-down direction is shorter than the distance from the rear end opening of the receiving space 311 to the reflecting surface 315A-1 in the forward-backward direction. Therefore, at the time of inspection, light emitted into the opening portion 310A-1 is more likely to reach the reflecting surface 315A-1, and a sufficient quantity of light can be reflected rearward even if the reflecting surface 315A-1 is made of an electrically insulating material. In addition, the reflecting surface 315A-1 is located so as to include the protruding ends (bottom ends) of the first contact portions 322A when viewed from the rear. Therefore, clear inspection images with high contrast between the first contact portions 322A and the reflecting surface 315A-1 can be captured by the imaging portion located behind the connector. As a result, it becomes easy to identify the location of the first contact portions 322A and the dimensions of the gap δ3 can be accurately measured.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the bottom end of the reflecting surface 315A-1 is located at the same height as the top face of the rear frame portion 313B, in other words, the bottom end of the gap δ3 in the up-down direction, and the reflecting surface 315A-1 is located so as to include the entire gap δ3 in the up-down direction. Therefore, it becomes easier to identify the extent of the gap δ3 in the inspection images and the dimensions of the gap δ3 can be measured more accurately. In addition, if the reflecting surface 315A-1 is formed within a range that extends downwardly of the top face of the rear frame portion 313B, the reflecting surface 315A-1 is positioned in a manner that ensures inclusion of the location of the top face of the rear frame portion 313B in the up-down direction, and it becomes easier to identify the extent of the gap δ3.
Although in the present embodiment the reflecting surface 315A-1 is located within a range that overlaps with the entire gap δ3 in the up-down direction, if the location of the bottom end of the gap δ3 can be easily identified, it is not essential for the reflecting surface to overlap with the entire gap δ3 in the up-down direction. In such a case, for example, the reflecting surface 315A-1 may be located within a range that overlaps only with a portion of the gap δ3 while including the protruding ends of the first contact portions 322A of the first terminals 320 when viewed from the rear. Providing the reflecting surface 315A-1 at such a location makes it easy to identify the location of the first contact portions 322A and allows for the dimensions of the gap δ3 to be accurately measured.
Although examples, in which the present invention was applied to connectors 1, 101, 201, and 301 into and from which a flat-type conductor used as a counterpart connect body was inserted and extracted in a direction parallel to the circuit board, were provided in the first and second embodiments discussed above, connectors to which the present invention is applicable are not limited thereto. For example, the present invention is equally applicable to connectors into and from which a counterpart connect body is inserted and extracted in a direction perpendicular to the circuit board. In such a case, the direction of insertion and extraction perpendicular to the circuit board is the forward-backward direction, and the direction parallel to the circuit board and perpendicular to the connector width direction (terminal array direction) is the connector thickness direction.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-125765 | Jul 2021 | JP | national |
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-125765, filed Jul. 30, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
