Low profile connector

A connector characterized in that it: is a connector that has a plurality of plate-shaped terminals that include openings able to enclose protruding terminals of the other half of the connector, and that mates with the other half of the connector. The openings comprise a wide portion, a narrow portion and a transitional portion that transitions from the wide portion to the narrow portion, and, in a top view, are provided with a first shape that is left-right asymmetric with respect to the centerline of the plate-shaped terminals, or a second shape whereby the first shape is inverted about the centerline. The plate-shaped terminals are arrayed lined up in the width direction of the connector, and arrayed such that the plate-shaped terminals comprising an opening having the first shape and the plate-shaped terminals comprising an opening having the second shape alternate.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The Present Disclosure claims priority to prior-filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-144419, entitled “Connector,” filed on 27 Jun. 2012 with the Japanese Patent Office. The content of the aforementioned patent application is incorporated in its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a connector.

Conventionally, in personal electronic equipment, in order to handle the greater miniaturization and increased performance of the devices and components, demands have been made of connectors too for greater miniaturization and higher density. In order to meet these demands, there have been proposals to form a plurality of conductor patterns upon insulating substrates and provide connectors that connect the ends of these conductor patterns to other substrates and the like. An example is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2007-114710, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 13is a perspective view of a conventional connector. In the figure,911is a male-side body serving as the body of the male connector, mounted to the surface of a circuit board (not shown). Upon the male-side body911are formed terminal-enclosing openings954that communicate between the front and rear surfaces of the male-side body911, and within the terminal-enclosing openings954are disposed a plurality of male-side electrode patterns951lined up in the lateral direction at a stipulated spacing. Each male-side electrode pattern951is provided with a tail portion958extending toward the outside of the male-side body911, and each tail portion958is electrically connected to a conductor trace of the electrical circuits formed on the surface of the circuit board. In addition, each male-side electrode pattern951is provided with an arm portion953that demarcates an inside opening954aand the periphery of the inside opening954a. Moreover, the inside opening954ais provided with a narrow portion having a narrow width and a wide portion having a wide width formed in the vicinity of the narrow portion.

Moreover, in the initial stage of the mating process, a male connector (not shown) is moved with respect to the female connector in the direction of the thickness of the female connector (the direction perpendicular to the drawing) and mates. At this time, bump-shaped male-side electrode protrusions (not shown) that protrude from the surface of the female connector enter into the wide portions of the inside openings954a. Then, when the male connector is moved with respect to the female connector in the longitudinal direction in the Figure, the male-side electrode protrusions move into the narrow portions. Thereby the mating of the male connector and the female connector is complete.

However, in the conventional connector, due to the effects of tolerances in manufacture and the like, positioning errors in the male-side electrode protrusions and positioning errors in the terminal-enclosing openings954of the male-side electrode patterns951may occur. If such positioning errors occur, there is a risk of excessive shaving or deformation of the male-side electrode protrusions or terminal-enclosing openings954occurring. In particular, as the electrodes are miniaturized or given higher densities accompanying progress in the miniaturization or increase in density of connectors, the problems arising due to positioning errors related to the dimensions and positions of electrodes become greater.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The Present Disclosure has, as an object, to solve the aforementioned problems with the conventional connectors and provide a connector highly reliable while still compact and low profile whereby, by giving the shapes of the openings of plate-shaped terminals that engage with the protruding terminals of the other half of the connector left-right asymmetry, it is possible to appropriately absorb any positioning error, so it is possible to prevent excessive shaving or deformation of the protruding terminals or plate-shaped terminals.

To this end, the connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises a connector that has a plurality of plate-shaped terminals that include openings able to enclose protruding terminals of the other half of the connector, and that mates with the other half of the connector. The openings comprise a wide portion, a narrow portion and a transitional portion that transitions from the wide portion to the narrow portion, and, in a top view, are provided with a first shape that is left-right asymmetric with respect to the centerline of the plate-shaped terminals, or a second shape whereby the first shape is inverted about the centerline. The plate-shaped terminals are arrayed lined up in the width direction of the connector, and arrayed such that the plate-shaped terminals comprising an opening having the first shape and the plate-shaped terminals comprising an opening having the second shape alternate.

Another connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises one where the transitional portions include an early contact portion formed upon either the left or right side of the centerline, and a late contact portion formed upon the other side, and at the time of moving from the wide portion to the narrow portion, the protruding terminals first contact the early contact portions and then contact the late contact portions.

Still another connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises one where the transitional portions include an early induction portion connected to the early contact portion and a late induction portion connected to the late contact portion, and the early and late induction portions are inclined portions inclined with respect to the centerline, and the inclination of the early induction portion is steeper than that of the late induction portion.

Still another connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises one where the plate-shaped terminals are arrayed to form a plurality of rows extending in the width direction of the connector, and the rows are formed such that rows made up of plate-shaped terminals comprising openings given the first shape alternate with rows made up of plate-shaped terminals comprising openings given the second shape.

Still another connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises one where the plate-shaped terminals include openings given the first shape and the plate-shaped terminals include openings given the second shape are defined to alternate with respect to the width direction of the connector.

Still another connector according to the Present Disclosure comprises one where the connector further has a connector engagement tab extending toward the outside in the width direction, and a latch protrusion protruding toward the outside in the width direction of the connector is formed upon the connector engagement tab, the other half of the connector has connector engagement cavities that engage the connector engagement tab disposed on either side in the width direction, and other-half latch protrusions that protrude toward the center in the width direction of the other half of the connector are formed upon the connector engagement cavities. When the other half of the connector is moved relative to the connector in the direction such that the protruding terminals enclosed within the openings move in the direction from the wide portions to the narrow portions, the latch protrusions ride up over the other-half latch protrusions.

With the Present Disclosure, the shapes of the openings of plate-shaped terminals that engage the protruding terminals of the other half of the connector are given left-right asymmetry. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately absorb any positioning error, to prevent excessive shaving or deformation of the protruding terminals or plate-shaped terminals, and to increase its reliability while still remaining compact and low profile.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the Present Disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the Figures, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments, with the understanding that the Present Disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the Present Disclosure, and is not intended to limit the Present Disclosure to that as illustrated.

As such, references to a feature or aspect are intended to describe a feature or aspect of an example of the Present Disclosure, not to imply that every embodiment thereof must have the described feature or aspect. Furthermore, it should be noted that the description illustrates a number of features. While certain features have been combined together to illustrate potential system designs, those features may also be used in other combinations not expressly disclosed. Thus, the depicted combinations are not intended to be limiting, unless otherwise noted.

In the embodiments illustrated in the Figures, representations of directions such as up, down, left, right, front and rear, used for explaining the structure and movement of the various elements of the Present Disclosure, are not absolute, but relative. These representations are appropriate when the elements are in the position shown in the Figures. If the description of the position of the elements changes, however, these representations are to be changed accordingly.

Referring toFIGS. 1-2,1is a male connector as a first connector which is one half of the connector according to the Present Disclosure; being a connector that is mounted on the surface of a mounted member (not shown), and that mates to and is electrically connected to a female connector101as the second connector (to be described later). Moreover, the male connector1which is the other half of the connector to the female connector101has a plate-shaped main unit11with a rectangular shape in top view. This main unit11has, starting from the mounting surface side (non-mating surface side) (lower side inFIGS. 1-2), a reinforcing layer16as a plate-shaped reinforcing plate which is a flat thin-plate member, a base film15as the male base plate portion which is a plate-shaped first base plate portion which is an insulating thin-plate member given a long, thin strip shape, and a plurality of conductor patterns51as male conductors which are flat plate-shaped terminal members disposed upon one face of this base film15(the face on the mating surface side). These conductor patterns51are isolated from each other by pattern isolation gaps52.

The base film15may be made of, for example, any insulating material. In addition, a reinforcing layer16as a plate-shaped reinforcing plate which is a flat thin-plate member is disposed upon the other surface of the base film15(the face on the mounting surface side). This reinforcing layer16may be made of, for example, metal, but may also be of any type. Moreover, the conductor patterns51may be, for example, formed from foil with a thickness of several to several dozen μm applied in advance to one face of the base film15, and then etched or otherwise patterned, with the patterns arrayed in lines so as to form two rows that are isolated from each other along the front edge11aand rear edge11bextending in the longitudinal direction of the main unit11, the lateral direction (width direction) of the male connector1, where the adjacent conductor patterns51within each row are isolated from each other and arrayed at a stipulated pitch. In addition, the row along the front edge11aand the row along the rear edge11bare disposed offset from each other by one half of the pitch in the longitudinal direction of the main unit11. To wit, the conductor patterns51within the row along the front edge11aand within the row along the rear edge11bare arrayed so that they assume a zigzag pattern offset by one half the pitch from each other in the lateral direction (width direction) of the male connector1.

The conductor patterns51are plate-shaped terminal patterns disposed in parallel rows, being exposed to the mating surface of the main unit11and also being provided with one protruding terminal53apiece as a male terminal. Note that in the illustrated rows, the conductor patterns51and protruding terminals53are arrayed in lines at a stipulated pitch, for example, roughly 0.4 mm, so as to form two rows that extend in the width direction of the main unit11, but the numbers of the conductor patterns51and protruding terminals53, their pitch and other aspects of the array are in no way limited to those illustrated in the Figures. Each protruding terminal53protrudes from the surface of the conductor patterns51, being formed integrally with the conductor patterns51by a method such as, for example, etching using photolithographic techniques. Note that the dimensions of the protruding terminal53in the height direction may be, for example, roughly 0.1-0.3 mm.

In addition, the shapes of the upper surfaces and cross sections of the protruding terminals53are preferably such that the dimensions in the front-back direction are greater than the dimensions in the width direction. Moreover, it is even more preferable for them to have a shape such as that of a pentagon like the home plate used in baseball with the front protruding, or such as a hexagon, or namely a shape with an inclined portion in front.

In this embodiment, the shapes of the side surfaces of the protruding terminals53are preferably concave surfaces as shown inFIG. 1. Specifically, in the protruding terminals53, the width dimension of the base portion53awhich is the portion connected to the surface of the conductor patterns51is equal to or greater than the width dimension of the tip portion53bwhich is the upper tip, while the side wall portion53cbetween the base portion53aand the tip portion53bis a smooth wall whose shape is smoothly indented toward the inside in the width direction further than in the base portion53aand tip portion53b. Note that the shape of the side wall portion53cis preferably a gently continuous curve, but it may also be a continuous bent surface made up of a plurality of inclined planes.

In addition, each conductor pattern51is electrically connected via a through-hole or the like formed in the base film15, for example, to a corresponding mounting pattern disposed on the other face of the base film15(the face on the mounting surface side). Moreover, each mounting pattern is connected by soldering or other means to a connection pad formed on the surface of the board as the mounted member. Thereby, the male connector1is attached to the board and the conductor patterns51and protruding terminals53are electrically connected to the connection pads of the board. Note that instead of the mounting pattern, it is possible to form on each of the conductor patterns51atail portion that extends in the lateral direction of the main unit11and protrudes outward from the base film15, and connect these tail portions to the connection pads of the board.

In addition, an auxiliary bracket56is disposed to one side of the conductor patterns51. This auxiliary bracket56may be, for example, formed together with the conductor patterns51from foil with a thickness of several to several dozen μm applied in advance to one face of the base film15, and then etched or otherwise patterned, extending in the lateral direction of the main unit11and disposed isolated from the conductor patterns51at either end of the main unit11in the lengthwise direction. Upon each auxiliary bracket56is formed an entry cavity56ainto which enters the connector engagement tab113of the female connector101(to be described later) and a securing tab56bthat extends outward in the lengthwise direction of the main unit11. Moreover, the rear surface of the securing tab56bis exposed upon the mounting surface of the main unit11, and this exposed portion is connected by soldering or the like to a securing pad formed on the surface of the board. Thereby, the male connector1is solidly attached to the male connector1.

An engagement reinforcing plate18as a flat plate-shaped engagement member is disposed upon the surface of the auxiliary bracket56(the face on the mating surface side). This engagement reinforcing plate18may be made of, for example, metal, but may also be any other type. In addition, an entry cavity18ainto which the connector engagement tab113of the female connector101enters is formed upon each engagement reinforcing plate18. Moreover, the engagement reinforcing plate18is joined and secured to the surface of the auxiliary bracket56with a flat plate-shaped spacer member57interposed. In this case, the entry cavity18ais disposed at a position corresponding to the entry cavity56a, so as shown inFIG. 1, a connector engagement cavity13that engages with the connector engagement tab113of the female connector101is formed. Note that the dimensions of the entry cavity18aare smaller than the dimensions of the entry cavity56a, so a visor-shaped detent13band a detent cavity13acovered by the detent13bare formed at areas toward the front edge11aof the main unit11in the connector engagement cavity13.

Moreover, a latch protrusion18bis formed on the sidewall positioned behind the connector engagement cavity13through the entry cavity18a, as an other-half latch protrusion that protrudes toward the center of the male connector1in the width direction. This latch protrusion18bis given a triangular-shaped flat shape. Moreover, the portion of the entry cavity18atoward the front edge11aof the latch protrusion18band the portion toward the rear edge11bconstitute a front-side latch cavity18cand a rear-side latch cavity18d. The inclined surface of the rear side of the triangular-shaped latch protrusion18b(the rear-side latch cavity18dside) is preferably formed such that the inclination is gentler than the inclined surface of the front side (the front-side latch cavity18cside).

Referring now toFIGS. 3-5, the female connector101is a second connector as the other half of the connector, which is given a rectangular flat shape and which mates with and is electrically connected to the male connector1as its other half of the connector. In addition, the female connector101may be, for example, mounted to a printed circuit board, flexible flat cables, flexible printed circuit boards or other mounted member, but here is described as connected to the end of a flexible flat cable, flexible printed circuit board or other flat cable.

In the illustrated example, the female connector101has a flat cable portion112and a plate-shaped main-unit portion111as the connecting portion formed upon or connected to the end of this cable portion112. Moreover, the main-unit portion111and cable portion112have, from the non-mating surface side (the lower side inFIG. 3) an engagement reinforcing plate116as a reinforcing plate made of a plate-shaped member, a base film115as an insulating layer which is a plate-shaped female base made of an insulating thin-plate member common to the cable portion112, wiring161comprising a plurality of conducting wires provided in parallel upon one surface of this base film115(the upper surface inFIG. 3(b)), a cover film117as an insulating layer that is made of an insulating thin-plate member common to the cable portion112and is a plate-shaped female covering that covers the wiring161, a plurality of plate-shaped terminals151as female conductor portions which are plate-shaped terminal members, and a reinforcing layer119made up of a plate-shaped member. Note that the plate-shaped terminals151are present only on the main-unit portion111, while the reinforcing layer119is present only on the cable portion112.

The plate-shaped terminals151have substantially elliptical to oval-shaped flat shapes, being isolated from each other by terminal isolation gaps152. In addition, each of the wires in the wiring161is electrically connected to a conducting trace corresponding to the flat cable. Note that the preferred dimension in the thickness direction of the main-unit portion111is approximately 0.3-0.5 mm. The base film115and cover film117may be made of, for example, any type of insulating material. In addition, the engagement reinforcing plate116and reinforcing layer119may be made of, for example, metal or any other type of material.

Moreover, the wiring161may be, for example, formed from foil with a thickness of several to several dozen μm applied in advance to one face of the base film115, and then etched or otherwise patterned, with the patterns arrayed in lines so as to form two rows parallel to each other. In addition, the plate-shaped terminals151may be, for example, formed from foil with a thickness of several to several dozen μm applied in advance to one face of the base film117, and then etched or otherwise patterned, with the patterns arrayed in lines so as to form two rows parallel to each other that are isolated from each other along the front edge111aand rear edge111bextending in the lateral direction (width direction) of the female connector101, where the rows and the adjacent plate-shaped terminals151within each row are isolated from each other and arrayed at a stipulated pitch. Note that this pitch is set to be equal to the pitch of the conductor patterns51of the male connector1and the pitch of the wiring161.

Moreover, the row along the front edge111aand the row toward the cable portion112are disposed offset from each other by one half of the pitch in the lateral direction of the female connector101. To wit, the plate-shaped terminals151within the row along the front edge111aand the plate-shaped terminals151within the row toward the cable portion112are arrayed so that they assume a zigzag pattern offset by one half the pitch from each other in the lateral direction of the female connector101.

As shown inFIG. 4, the plate-shaped terminals151have openings154for enclosing protruding terminals that have a substantially sake bottle-shaped planar shape, arms153as first terminal members that demarcate the left and right sides of the openings154, terminal connecting holes151a, and left-right asymmetrical planar shapes or namely planar shapes that are not linearly symmetrical. The centerline C of each of the plate-shaped terminals151is aligned with the centerline of the corresponding wire of the wiring161in top view, and the center of the terminal connecting holes151ais also positioned upon the centerline of the corresponding wire of the wiring161. Note that the openings154penetrate through the plate-shaped terminals151in the direction of the board thickness. Moreover, the external shapes of the plate-shaped terminals151are left-right symmetrical planar shapes with the centerline C as the axis of symmetry, but the openings154have left-right asymmetrical planar shapes with respect to the centerline C.

The openings154are the portions that, when the plate-shaped terminals151mate with the protruding terminals53of the male connector1, enclose the entering protruding terminals53. Moreover, the openings154comprise a substantially elliptical to ovoid wide portion154a, and a channel-shaped narrow portion154bconnected to this wide portion154aon the front edge111aside of the main-unit portion111and that extends toward this front edge111a. Note that the centers in the width direction of the wide portion154aand narrow portion154bare positioned upon the centerline C.

The wide portions154aare the portions into which the protruding terminals53enter starting from their tip portions53b, and their inside portions are formed so that their dimensions are greater than the outside dimensions of the tip portion53bof the protruding terminals53. Thereby, when the plate-shaped terminals151mate with the protruding terminals53, the protruding terminals53can smoothly enter the interiors of the wide portions154a. In addition, when the female connector101is slid in the direction indicated by Arrow B inFIG. 3relative to the male connector1, the narrow portions154bare the portions into which the protruding terminals53entering the wide portions154amove. The width dimensions of the narrow portions154bare the same or somewhat smaller than the diameters or width dimensions of the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53, and are formed such that their width dimensions are smaller than the widths of the tip portions53b. For this reason, when the protruding terminals53enter within the narrow portions154b, the arms153on both sides come into contact with the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53and are elastically displaced so that the gap between is widened. Accordingly, the protruding terminals53are subject to contact pressure from the arms153, and thus the continuity between the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151is reliably maintained.

Moreover, a transitional portion155that transitions from the wide portion154ato the narrow portion154bis formed such that its width dimension decreases gradually as it gets closer to the narrow portion154b, and it has a left-right asymmetric plan shape. One of the left or right side faces of the transitional portion155is a first inclined portion155aas the early induction portion, and the boundary between this first inclined portion155aand the narrow portion154bis a first vertex155bas the early contact portion connected to the early induction portion. In addition, the other side face of the transitional portion155is a second inclined portion155cas the late induction portion, and the boundary between this second inclined portion155cand the narrow portion154bis a second vertex155das the late contact portion connected to the late induction portion.

The first inclined portion155ahas a steeper inclination than the second inclined portion155c(the angle of inclination with respect to the centerline C is greater), and as a result, the first vertex155bis positioned behind the second vertex155d(toward the cable portion112). For this reason, when the female connector101is slid in the direction indicated by Arrow B inFIG. 3relative to the male connector1, each protruding terminal53within the wide portion154afirst comes into contact with the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155band then comes into contact with the second inclined portion155cand second vertex155d, and moves within the narrow portion154b. Thereby, even if there is positioning error in the plate-shaped terminals151or the corresponding protruding terminals53due to the effects of manufacturing tolerances or the like, the protruding terminals53always first come into contact with the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bso the first arm153a, which is the arm153on the side where the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bare formed, starts to elastically deform before the second arm153bwhich is the other arm153, so the positioning error can be absorbed.

In the illustrated example, in all of the plate-shaped terminals151within the row along the front edge111a, the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bare formed on the left side of the centerline C when seen from the front edge111a, while in all of the plate-shaped terminals151within the row toward the cable portion112, the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bare formed on the right side of the centerline C when seen from the front edge111a. In other words, if the openings154of the plate-shaped terminals151within the row along the front edge111aare given a first shape which is left-right asymmetrical with respect to the centerline C, then the openings154of the plate-shaped terminals151within the row toward the cable portion112are given a second shape which is the first shape inverted about the centerline C. To wit, the row along the front edge111ais made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the first shape, while the row toward the cable portion112is made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the second shape. Thus, the plate-shaped terminals151are arrayed such that rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the first shape and rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the second shape are formed alternately.

Originally, the row along the front edge111aand the row toward the cable portion112are disposed offset from each other by one half of the pitch in the lateral direction (width direction) of the female connector101, so if we focus upon the width direction of the female connector101, we can also say that rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the first shape and rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the second shape are disposed such that they alternate regarding the width direction of the female connector101. Note that this can also be changed such that the row along the front edge111ais made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the second shape, while the row toward the cable portion112is made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the first shape.

In this manner, by making rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the first shape and rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151that include openings154given the second shape disposed such that they alternate, or namely, by arraying the plate-shaped terminals151such that the position on the first arm153aat which are formed the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bwhere the protruding terminals53contact first is inverted left-right on each adjacent row, or each plate-shaped terminal151which is adjacent in the lateral direction, the force in the lateral direction that the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151receive mutually from the other half is equalized over the whole. Accordingly, the states of the male connector1and female connector101mating to each other are stable, and all of the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151are stably in contact with no occurrence of the so-called “tilted mating.”

A terminal-corresponding opening117aand a through hole117bare formed in the cover film117at positions corresponding to each opening154and terminal connecting hole151aof each plate-shaped terminal151. To wit, the terminal-corresponding openings117aand through holes117bare, like the plate-shaped terminals151, arrayed in a zigzag pattern in two rows offset by one half pitch from each other. The terminal-corresponding openings117aand through holes117bpenetrate through the cover film117in the direction of the board thickness. In addition, the terminal-corresponding openings117ahave substantially elliptical to oval-shaped flat shapes, being formed at a size larger than the openings154but smaller than the external size of the plate-shaped terminals151. Moreover, wiring-corresponding openings117cthat penetrate the cover film117in the board thickness direction at positions corresponding to each wire of the wiring161are formed in portions corresponding to the cable portion112in the base film115. The mating-side surface of the corresponding wire of the wiring161is exposed to each of these wiring-corresponding openings117c. Note that the wiring-corresponding openings117cmay also be omitted if not necessary.

A substantially circular connection tip162is formed at the tip of each wire of the wiring161, and a wiring connection hole162ais formed on this connection tip162. This wiring connection hole162ais positioned such that its center is upon the centerline of the wiring161and penetrates the wiring161in the board thickness direction. In addition, each wire of the wiring161is disposed such that its wiring connection hole162ais at a position corresponding to the corresponding terminal connecting hole151aof the plate-shaped terminal151and through hole117bof the cover film117. Moreover, each of the terminal connecting holes151aof the plate-shaped terminals151belonging to the first layer on the upper surface side of the cover film117, or namely the mating side, communicates with the wiring connection hole162aof the corresponding wire of the wiring161belonging to the third layer on the lower surface side of the cover film117, or namely the mating side, via a conducting member passing through the through hole117b. To wit, the plate-shaped terminals151and wiring161are disposed upon different layers of the female connector101, electrically connected to each other via conducting members.

In addition, the connection tip162and wiring connection hole162aof the wiring161are arrayed to correspond to the plate-shaped terminals151arrayed in zigzag fashion offset by one half pitch from each other within the two rows. Accordingly, the wiring161is arrayed such that long wiring161at positions where its tip the connection tip162is at a position close to the front edge111aof the main-unit portion111and short wiring161where the connection tip162is at a position far from the front edge111aof the main-unit portion111are lined up alternately. Moreover, the long wiring161passes through mutually adjacent plate-shaped terminals151in rows toward the cable portion112when viewed from the top.

The base film115has terminal-corresponding openings115aformed at positions corresponding to the openings154of each of the plate-shaped terminals151. To wit, the terminal-corresponding openings115a, like the plate-shaped terminals151, are arrayed in zigzag fashion offset by one half pitch from each other within two rows. The terminal-corresponding openings115apenetrate the base film115in the board thickness direction. In addition, the terminal-corresponding openings115ahave substantially elliptical to oval-shaped flat shapes, being formed at a size larger than the openings154but smaller than the external size of the plate-shaped terminals151. Moreover, wiring-corresponding openings115cthat penetrate the base film115in the board thickness direction at positions corresponding to each wire of the wiring161are formed in portions corresponding to the cable portion112in the base film115. A thick connection bump161aformed on the non-mating-side surface of the corresponding wire of the wiring161is exposed to each of these wiring-corresponding openings115c. This connection bump161ais connected by soldering or other means to the conductor wire exposed at the tip of the flat cable (not shown) as the mounting member.

In addition, a terminal-corresponding opening116ais formed also in the engagement reinforcing plate116at positions corresponding to each opening154of each plate-shaped terminal151. To wit, the terminal-corresponding openings116aare, like the plate-shaped terminals151, arrayed in a zigzag pattern in two rows offset by one half pitch from each other. The terminal-corresponding openings116apenetrate through the engagement reinforcing plate116in the direction of the board thickness. In addition, the terminal-corresponding openings116ahave substantially elliptical to oval-shaped flat shapes, being formed at a size larger than the openings154but smaller than the external size of the plate-shaped terminals151. Moreover, a pair of right arms116bextends backward in portions corresponding to the cable portion112in the engagement reinforcing plate116. Thereby, the three directions are demarcated by a connection cavity112asurrounded by the engagement reinforcing plate116on the non-mating surface side of the cable portion112. The tip of the flat cable (not shown) as the mounting member is enclosed within this connection cavity112a.

In addition, on both the left and right sides of the main-unit portion111in the engagement reinforcing plate116, connector engagement tabs113extending outward in the width direction of the female connector101are integrally formed. When the female connector101mates to the male connector1, these connector engagement tabs113are members that engage with the connector engagement cavities13of this male connector1, serving to prevent the female connector101from disconnecting from the male connector1. Moreover, an indenting detent113band a visor-shaped detent protrusion113athat covers the detent113bare formed at the rear end of the connector engagement tab113(the cable portion112side end). When the female connector101is slid relative to the male connector1in the direction of the front edge11aof this male connector1in the state with the connector engagement tab113engaged with the connector engagement cavity13, the detent protrusion113aand detent113bengage the detent cavity13aand detent13bof the connector engagement cavity13, thereby preventing the connector engagement tab113from disconnecting from the connector engagement cavity13.

In addition, a latch protrusion118that protrudes toward the outside in the width direction of the female connector101is formed upon the connector engagement tab113. This latch protrusion118is given a triangular flat shape and is able to mate with the front-side latch cavity18cand rear-side latch cavity18din the entry cavity18aof the male connector1. The inclined surface at the rear side of the triangular latch protrusion118(on the detent protrusion113aside) preferably has a more gentle inclination than the inclined surface at the front side (the front edge111aside).

Referring toFIGS. 6-12, in mating the male connector1and the female connector101, the operator places the mating surface of the male connector1(the top-side surface inFIG. 1) such that it faces the mating surface of the female connector101(the top-side surface inFIG. 3), and lowers the female connector101relative to the male connector1, or namely moves it in the mating direction, thus causing the mating surface of the male connector1to contact or approach the mating surface of the female connector101. Thereby, as shown inFIG. 6, the left and right connector engagement tabs113of the female connector101enter the left and right connector engagement cavities13of the male connector1and also, each of the protruding terminals53of the male connector1enter within the wide portions154ain the openings154of the corresponding plate-shaped terminals151of the female connector101. In this case, the connector engagement cavity13is formed such that its inside dimensions are larger than the outside dimensions of the connector engagement tab113, so the connector engagement tab113can smoothly enter the interior of the connector engagement cavity13. In addition, the rear-side latch cavity18dpositioned to the rear of this connector engagement cavity13is formed such that its inside dimensions are larger than the outside dimensions of the latch protrusion118of the connector engagement tab113, so the latch protrusion118can smoothly enter the interior of the rear-side latch cavity18d. Moreover, as shown inFIG. 7(a), the wide portion154ais formed such that its inside dimensions are greater than the outside dimensions of the tip portion53b, so the protruding terminal53can smoothly enter the interior of the wide portion154a.

Next, the operator slides the female connector101relative to the male connector1in the direction of the front edge11aof this male connector1(in the direction indicated by Arrow B inFIG. 3). To wit, the female connector101advances relative to the male connector1in the forward direction of this male connector1, in the state with the mating surface of the male connector1in contact with or near the mating surface of the female connector101.

Then, as shown inFIG. 8, the inclined surfaces on the rear side of the latch protrusion118at the tips of the left and right connector engagement tab113come into contact with the inclined surfaces on the rear side of the latch protrusion18bpositioned toward the front edge11aof the rear-side latch cavity18d. Furthermore, when the operator advances the female connector101further relative to the male connector1in the forward direction of this male connector1, the latch protrusion118of the female connector101and/or the latch protrusion18bof the male connector1deforms elastically, the latch protrusion118of the female connector101rides up over the latch protrusion18bof the male connector1and enters into the interior of the front-side latch cavity18cas inFIG. 10. When the latch protrusion118of the female connector101rides up over the latch protrusion18bof the male connector1in this manner, a reaction force is generated due to the elastic deformation of the latch protrusion118of the female connector101and/or the latch protrusion18bof the male connector1. In addition, vibrations or sound may also be generated. The operator may be aware of such reaction force, vibration and/or sound as a “click” feeling. Note that the inclined surface on the rear side of the latch protrusion18b(the rear-side latch cavity18dside) has a gentler inclination than the inclined surface on the front side (the front-side latch cavity18cside), and the inclined surface on the rear side of the latch protrusion118(the detent protrusion113aside) has a gentler inclination than the inclined surface on the front side (the front edge111aside), so the operator may make the latch protrusion18bride over the latch protrusion118without exerting a great force.

The protruding terminals53positioned within the wide portions154ain the openings154of the plate-shaped terminals151move relative toward the narrow portion154b. One side of the transitional portion155in the opening154(the left side in the plate-shaped terminals151within the row along the front edge111a, or the right side in the plate-shaped terminals151within the row toward the cable portion112) is provided with a first inclined portion155aand first vertex155b, while the other side is provided with a second inclined portion155cand second vertex155d. As described above, the first inclined portion155ahas a steeper inclination than the second inclined portion155c, and the first vertex155bis positioned behind the second vertex155d(toward the cable portion112). For this reason, as shown inFIG. 9(b), the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53first come into contact with the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155b. Then, when the operator further advances the female connector101relative to the male connector1in the forward direction thereof, the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53continue to be in contact with the second inclined portion155cand second vertex155dand then enter into the interior of the narrow portion154bas shown inFIG. 11(b).

Even if there is positioning error in the openings154and/or protruding terminals53due to the effects of manufacturing tolerances or the like, the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53always first come into contact with the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bso the first arm153a, which is the arm153on the side where the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bare formed, starts to elastically deform before the second arm153bwhich is the other arm153, so the positioning error can be absorbed. In addition, in the row along the front edge111aand the row toward the cable portion112, the first inclined portion155aand first vertex155bare at positions with left/right reversed, so the force in the lateral direction that the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151receive mutually from the other half is equalized over the whole. Accordingly, the states of the male connector1and female connector101mating to each other are stable, and all of the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151are stably in contact with no occurrence of the so-called “tilted mating.”

Moreover, when the protruding terminals53enter within the narrow portions154b, the arms153on both sides come into contact with the side wall portions53cof the protruding terminals53and are elastically displaced so that the gap between is widened. Accordingly, the protruding terminals53are subject to contact pressure from the arms153, and thus the continuity between the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151is reliably maintained.

When the mating of the male connector1and female connector101is complete in this manner, as shown inFIGS. 10 and 12, the detent protrusion113aand detent113bof the connector engagement tab113engage the detent cavity13aand detent13bof the connector engagement cavity13and are held. Thereby, disconnection of the connector engagement tab113from the connector engagement cavity13is prevented, and any release of the mating between the male connector1and female connector101is reliably prevented. In addition, the latch protrusion118enters the interior of the front-side latch cavity18c, engages and is held. This prevents the female connector101from sliding with respect to the male connector1in the direction of releasing the mating (the direction opposite the direction indicated by Arrow B inFIG. 3), so any release of the engagement between the detent protrusion113aand detent113bof the connector engagement tab113and the detent cavity13aand detent13bof the connector engagement cavity13is reliably prevented. Note that the inclined surface on the front side (the front-side latch cavity18cside) of the latch protrusion18bhas a steeper inclination than the inclined surface on the rear side (the rear-side latch cavity18dside), and the inclined surface on the front side (the front edge111aside) of the latch protrusion118has a steeper inclination than the inclined surface on the rear side (the detent protrusion113aside). For this reason, a relatively large amount of force must be applied in order to cause the latch protrusion118to ride up over the latch protrusion18bof the male connector1and enter within the rear-side latch cavity18d, and thus slide the female connector101toward the male connector1in the direction of releasing the mating. Accordingly, any sliding of the female connector101toward the male connector1in the direction of releasing the mating is reliably prevented.

Note that the operation of releasing the mating between the male connector1and the female connector101is nothing more than the opposite of the operation of mating the male connector1to the female connector101, so an explanation thereof is omitted.

In addition, this embodiment was described in the case in which there are two rows of conductor patterns51and plate-shaped terminals151, but the number of these rows is in no way limited to two, but rather it may be any number as long as it is a plurality. Moreover, it is sufficient for the conductor patterns51of one row to be offset in position in the width direction of the main unit11from the conductor patterns51of the adjacent row, and it is sufficient for the plate-shaped terminals151of one row to be offset in position in the width direction of the main unit11from the plate-shaped terminals151of the adjacent row. Moreover, this embodiment describes the case in which only the plate-shaped terminals151are connected to the wiring161, but the conductor patterns51may also be connected to the wiring161. To wit, it is sufficient for at least one of the terminal members of the male connector1and female connector101to be connected to the tips of the parallel wires of the wiring161.

In this manner, in this embodiment the connector has a plurality of plate-shaped terminals151including openings154that are able to enclose the protruding terminals53of the male connector1, and a female connector101that mates with the male connector1. Moreover, each of the openings154comprise a wide portion154a, a narrow portion154band a transitional portion155that transitions from the wide portion154ato the narrow portion154b, and in a top view, are provided with a first shape that is left-right asymmetric with respect to the centerline C of the plate-shaped terminals151, or a second shape whereby the first shape is inverted about the centerline; and the plate-shaped terminals151are arrayed lined up in the width direction of the connector101, and arrayed such that the plate-shaped terminals151comprising the opening154having the first shape and the plate-shaped terminals151comprising the opening having the second shape alternate.

Accordingly, any positioning errors of the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151can be appropriately absorbed, so it is possible to prevent excessive shaving or deformation of the protruding terminals53or plate-shaped terminals151, and thus it is possible to increase its reliability while still remaining compact and low profile. In addition, the transitional portion155also comprises a first vertex155bformed on either the left or right side of the Centerline C, and a second vertex155dformed on the other side, so each protruding terminal53, when moving from the wide portion154ato the narrow portion154b, first comes into contact with the first vertex155band then comes into contact with the second vertex155d. Accordingly, the protruding terminals53always first come into contact with the first vertex155bso the first arm153awhere the first vertex155bis formed starts to elastically deform before the second arm153b, so the positioning error can be absorbed.

Moreover, the transitional portion155comprises a first inclined portion155aconnected to the first vertex155b, an a second inclined portion155cconnected to the second vertex155d, and the first inclined portion155aand second inclined portion155care inclined portions that are inclined with respect to the Centerline C, where the inclination of the first inclined portion155ais steeper than that of the second inclined portion155c.

Moreover, the plate-shaped terminals151are arrayed lined up so as to form a plurality of rows extending in the width direction of the female connector101, and the rows are formed so as to form rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151comprising openings154that are given the first shape and rows made up of plate-shaped terminals151comprising openings154that are given the second shape. Accordingly, the force in the lateral direction that the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151receive mutually from the other half is equalized over the whole, so the states of the male connector1and female connector101mating to each other are stable, and all of the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151are stably in contact with no occurrence of the so-called “tilted mating.”

Moreover, the plate-shaped terminals151comprising openings154that are given the first shape and the plate-shaped terminals151comprising openings154that are given the second shape are arrayed so as to alternate with regard to the width direction of the female connector101. Accordingly, the force in the lateral direction that the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151receive mutually from the other half is equalized over the whole, so the states of the male connector1and female connector101mating to each other are stable, and all of the protruding terminals53and plate-shaped terminals151are stably in contact with no occurrence of the so-called “tilted mating.”

Moreover, the female connector101also has a connector engagement tab113extending toward the outside in the width direction, and a latch protrusion118extending toward the outside in the width direction of the female connector101is formed on the connector engagement tab113, and the male connector1has connector engagement cavities13that are disposed on both sides in the width direction and that engage with the connector engagement tab113, while a latch protrusion18bthat protrudes toward the center in the width direction of the male connector1is formed on the connector engagement cavity13, so when the male connector1is moved relative to the female connector101in the direction that the protruding terminals53enclosed within the openings154moves from the wide portion154ato the narrow portion154b, the latch protrusion118rides up over the latch protrusion18b. Accordingly, the operator may be made aware of such reaction force, vibration and/or sound as a “click” feeling.

While a preferred embodiment of the Present Disclosure is shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the foregoing Description and the appended Claims.