Patent Publication Number: US-8968020-B2

Title: Electric connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to an electric connector to be equipped in a circuit board and used for electrically connecting to a signal-transmission medium such as FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and FFC (Flexible Flat Cable). The invention further relates to a lock device to be used in an electric connector. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a conventional electric connector used for electrically connecting to a signal-transmission medium such as FPC and FFC. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the conventional electric connector  150  includes a housing  153  having a groove  152  into which a signal-transmission medium  151  such as FPC and FFC is inserted at opposite edges thereof, and a lock device  154  including a lock  154   a  for locking the signal-transmission medium  151  at the groove  152  and allowing the signal-transmission medium  151  to be released out of the groove  152 . The locker  154   a  is designed to move up beyond and move down below a lower inner surface  152   a  of the groove  152 . 
     The lock device  154  is formed of an elastic material. The locker  154   a  is energized towards an upper inner surface  152   b  facing the lower inner surface  152   a.    
     The signal-transmission medium  151  is formed at each of side edges thereof with a cut-out  151   a . Inserting the signal-transmission medium  151  into the groove  152  in a direction indicated with an arrow X, the signal-transmission medium  151  makes contact at a lower surface  151   b  thereof with the locker  154   a , and pushes the locker  154   a  down. When the cut-out  151   a  reaches a position above the locker  154   a , the locker  154   a  moves up by virtue of an elastic force of the lock device  154  to thereby fit into the cut-out  151   a . Thus, the signal-transmission medium  151  is fixed in the groove  152 . 
     There have been suggested various electric connectors apart from the above-mentioned electric connector  150 . As a conventional electric connector related to the electric connector in accordance with the present invention, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-153059 has suggested “a connector”, for instance. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in the conventional electric connector  150 , the locker  154   a  upwardly protrudes beyond the lower inner surface  152   a  of the groove  152  by a height necessary for engaging to the cut-out  151   a . Consequently, if a thickness  151   t  of the signal-transmission medium  151  inserted into the groove  152  is smaller than a distance  152   c  between the lower inner surface  152   a  and the upper inner surface  152   b  of the groove  152 , there is generated a space G between the signal-transmission medium  151  and the upper inner surface  152   b  of the groove  152 . Thus, if the signal-transmission medium  151  moves upwardly, a length by which the locker  154   a  is engaged to the cut-out  151   a  of the signal-transmission medium  151  is reduced. Such a length varies in dependence on a variance of the thickness  151   t  of the signal-transmission medium  151 . Accordingly, if such a length were small, the locker  154   a  makes unstable engagement with the cut-out  151   a , resulting in reduction in contact reliability between the electric connector  150  and the signal-transmission medium  151 . 
     Though the “connector” suggested in the above-identified Publication is designed to have a countermeasure for avoiding the reduction in contact reliability, the reduction in contact reliability in the conventional electric connector  150  illustrated in  FIG. 1  cannot be prevented by the above-identified Publication. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above-mentioned problem in the conventional electric connector, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric connector capable of presenting highly reliable electric connection between an electric connector and a signal-transmission medium, even if there were a variance in a thickness of the signal-transmission medium. 
     In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric connector including a housing having a groove into which a signal-transmission medium is inserted at opposite edges thereof, and a lock device including a locker for locking the signal-transmission medium at the groove and allowing the signal-transmission medium to be released out of the groove, the locker moving up beyond and moving down below a first inner surface of the groove extending in parallel with a direction in which the signal-transmission medium is inserted into the groove, the locker being energized towards a second inner surface of the groove situated opposing to the first inner surface, the lock device further including a compressor for compressing the signal-transmission medium towards the second inner surface so as to allow the signal-transmission medium to be released out of the groove. 
     In the electric connector in accordance with the present invention, when a signal-transmission medium having been inserted into the groove of the housing is fixed by means of the locker, the compressor of the lock device compresses the signal-transmission medium towards the second inner surface, ensuring that no gap is formed between the signal-transmission medium and the second inner surface of the groove, and hence, a length by which the locker is engaged to a cut-out of the signal-transmission medium can be constant. Thus, even if there were a variance in a thickness of a signal-transmission medium, highly reliable electric connection can be presented between an electric connector and a signal-transmission medium. 
     It is preferable that the compressor is located between a top surface of the locker and the first inner surface. Herein, “a top surface” of the locker indicates a surface located closet to the second inner surface facing the first inner surface in the lock device designed to be able to move up beyond and move down below the first inner surface of the groove. 
     By so designing the compressor, even if a thickness of a signal-transmission medium inserted into the groove had a variance within a distance between the first and second inner surfaces of the groove, reliable electric connection can be surely presented between an electric connector and a signal-transmission medium. 
     For instance, the compressor may be designed to comprise a flat surface. 
     It is preferable that the lock device further includes a releaser for, when compressed, causing the lock device to be elastically deformed to thereby cause the locker to be released from the signal-transmission medium. 
     By so designing the lock device, the lock device has functions of locking a signal-transmission medium in the electric connector and unlocking a signal-transmission medium out of the electric connector, ensuring that both the function of locking a signal-transmission medium in the electric connector and the function of unlocking a signal-transmission medium out of the electric connector can be presented without increasing a number of parts. 
     It is preferable that the lock device is made of a single plate having elasticity. 
     It is preferable that the lock device includes a base, and a lock arm being J-shaped relative to the base, wherein the locker is located at a distal end of the lock arm and is substantially wedge-shaped, and the compressor is formed adjacent to the locker. 
     It is preferable that the lock device includes a base, and a lock arm being J-shaped relative to the base, wherein the locker is located at a distal end of the lock arm and is substantially wedge-shaped, the compressor is formed adjacent to the locker, and the releaser is formed in facing relation with the locker. 
     By so designing the lock device, it is possible to provide a function of surely locking a signal-transmission medium and a function of compressing the same regardless of a simple structure of the lock device, ensuring enhanced contact reliability between the electric connector and a signal-transmission medium. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lock device housed in a housing of an electric connector, the housing having a groove into which a signal-transmission medium is inserted at opposite edges thereof, the lock device including a locker for locking the signal-transmission medium at the groove and allowing the signal-transmission medium to be released out of the groove, the locker moving up beyond and moving down below a first inner surface of the groove extending in parallel with a direction in which the signal-transmission medium is inserted into the groove, the locker being energized towards a second inner surface of the groove situated opposing to the first inner surface, the lock device further including a compressor for compressing the signal-transmission medium towards the second inner surface so as to allow the signal-transmission medium to be released out of the groove. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the compressor is located between a top surface of the locker and the first inner surface. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the compressor comprises a flat surface. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the lock device further includes a releaser for, when compressed, causing the lock device to be elastically deformed to thereby cause the locker to be released from the signal-transmission medium. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the lock device is made of a single plate having elasticity. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the lock device includes a base, and a lock arm being J-shaped relative to the base, wherein the locker is located at a distal end of the lock arm and is substantially wedge-shaped, and the compressor is formed adjacent to the locker. 
     In the lock device in accordance with the present invention, it is preferable that the lock device includes a base, and a lock arm being J-shaped relative to the base, wherein the locker is located at a distal end of the lock arm and is substantially wedge-shaped, the compressor is formed adjacent to the locker, and the releaser is formed in facing relation with the locker. 
     The advantages obtained by the aforementioned present invention will be described hereinbelow. 
     The electric connector in accordance with the present invention is capable of presenting highly reliable electric connection between itself and a signal-transmission medium, even if there were a variance in a thickness of a signal-transmission medium. 
     The above and other objects and advantageous features of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of the conventional electric connector into which a signal-transmission medium is inserted. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the electric connector in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention and a signal-transmission medium. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the electric connector illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the electric connector illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a rear view of the electric connector illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the lock device, a part of the electric connector illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side view viewing in a direction indicated with an arrow B shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both connected to each other and both illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both in the condition illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both in the condition illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector illustrated in  FIG. 6  to which another signal-transmission medium is connected. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the signal-transmission medium being unlocked from the electric connector. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector and the signal-transmission medium both illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the signal-transmission being taken out of the electric connector. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The electric connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described hereinbelow with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 15 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 6 , the electric connector  100  in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an electrically insulative housing  10  having a groove  11  into which a signal-transmission medium  200  is inserted at opposite edges thereof, and a lock device  30  including a locker  31  for locking the signal-transmission medium  200  at the groove  11  and allowing the signal-transmission medium  200  to be released out of the groove  11 . The locker  31  is designed to move up beyond and move down below a lower inner surface  11   a  of the groove  11  extending in parallel with a direction C in which the signal-transmission  200  is inserted into the groove  11 , and is energized towards an upper inner surface  11   b  of the groove  11  situated facing the lower inner surface  11   a . The lock device  30  further includes a compressor  34  for compressing the signal-transmission medium  200  towards the upper inner surface  11   b  when the signal-transmission medium  200 , having been inserted into the groove  11 , is locked by the locker  31 . 
     The electrically insulative housing  10  has a plurality of contacts  12  equally spaced away from adjacent ones. Grounded portions  32  and  33  formed integral with the lock device  30  are located in the vicinity of opposite side edges of the electrically insulative housing  10  in a width-wise direction  10   w  of the housing  10 . As mentioned later, the lock device  30  is integrally formed with a pair of releasers  35  which, when compressed, cause the lock device  30  to be elastically deformed to thereby cause the locker  31  to be released from the signal-transmission medium  200 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the releasers  35  upwardly protrude beyond an upper surface of the electrically insulative housing  10  in the vicinity of opposite side edges of the electrically insulative housing  10  in a width-wise direction  10   w  of the electrically insulative housing  10 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the compressor  34 , which is in the form of a flat surface, is located within an area E defined between a top surface  31   a  of the locker  31  and the lower inner surface  11   a  of the groove  11 . Specifically, the compressor  34  is located in the area E having a height lower than the top surface  31   a  of the locker  31 , and higher than the lower inner surface  11   a  of the groove  11 . Herein, the top surface  31   a  of the locker  31  indicates a surface located closet closest to the upper inner surface  11   b  of the groove  11 . 
     The top surface  31   a  of the locker  31  is in the form of a flat surface. The locker  31  has an inclined surface  36  facing an opening  11   c  of the groove  11 , and ascending along a direction C in which the signal-transmission medium  200  is inserted into the groove  11 . The locker  31  further has a vertical wall  37  between the top surface  31   a  and the compressor  34 . At a boundary between the vertical wall  37  and the compressor  34  is formed a recess  38  below the compressor  34 . A length-wise direction of the recess  38  is perpendicular to a direction C in which the signal-transmission medium  200  is inserted into the groove  11 , and is in parallel with a length-wise direction of the groove  11 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the lock device  30  can be fabricated by bending a strip-shaped metal plate having elasticity. The lock device  30  includes a base  39 , and a lock arm  40  being J-shaped relative to the base  39 . The base  39  and the lock arm  40  are connected to each other through a U-shaped elastic portion  41 . The locker  31  is located at a distal end of lock arm  40 , and is substantially wedge-shaped. The compressor  34  is formed adjacent to the locker  31 . 
     The releaser  35  is formed in facing relation with the locker  31  and the compressor  34  in a width-wise direction of the lock arm  40 . The lock arm  40  is substantially in the form of a strip. Each of the locker  31 , the compressor  34  and the releaser  35  is formed like a rib by vertically bending portions extending in a width-wise direction of the lock arm  40  from opposite side edges of the lock arm  40  in the vicinity of a distal end of the lock arm  40 . The releaser  35  is formed by bending the portion to be rounded or J-shaped at a top. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 9 to 12 , inserting the signal-transmission medium  200  formed at opposite side edges thereof with cut-outs  201 , into the groove  11  of the electric connector  100  in the direction C, the signal-transmission medium  200  makes contact at a lower surface  203  of a front  202  thereof with the inclined surface  36  of the locker  31 , and moves further into the groove  11 , downwardly pushing the locker  31 . When each of the cut-outs  201  arrives above the locker  31 , the locker  31  moves upwardly by virtue of an elastic force of the lock device  30 , as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , and thus, is fit into the cut-out  201 . Thus, the signal-transmission medium  200  is fixed in the groove  11 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , while the signal-transmission medium  200  having been inserted into the groove  11  of the housing  10  is being locked by the locker  31 , the compressor  34  of the lock device  30  makes contact with the lower surface  203  of the signal-transmission medium  200  to thereby compress the signal-transmission medium  200  towards the upper inner surface  11   b  of the groove  11 . Thus, no gap is formed between the signal-transmission medium  200  and the upper inner surface  11   b  of the groove  11 , and hence, a length by which the locker  31  is engaged to the cut-out  201  of the signal-transmission medium  200  can be constant, ensuring that highly reliable electric connection can be presented between the electric connector  100  and the signal-transmission medium  200 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , in the case that a signal-transmission medium  300  having a thickness greater than the same of the signal-transmission medium  200  is inserted into the groove  11 , the locker  31  is located closer to the base  39  than the case illustrated in  FIG. 12 . Since the compressor  34  makes contact with a lower surface  303  of the signal-transmission medium  300  and compresses the signal-transmission medium  300  towards the upper inner surface  11   b  by virtue of the elastic force of the locker  31 , no gap is formed between the signal-transmission medium  300  and the upper inner surface  11   b  of the groove  11 , ensuring that a length by which the locker  31  is engaged to a cut-out  301  of the signal-transmission medium  300  can be constant, and highly reliable electric connection can be presented between the electric connector  100  and the signal-transmission medium  300 . 
     Accordingly, even if there were a variance in a thickness of the signal-transmission medium  200  or  300 , highly reliable electric connection can be presented between the electric connector  100  and the signal-transmission medium  200 ,  300 . That is, even if a thickness of the signal-transmission medium  200 ,  300  inserted into the groove  11  had a variance within a distance between the lower and upper inner surfaces  11   a ,  11   b  of the groove  11 , reliable electric connection can be surely presented between the electric connector  100  and the signal-transmission medium  200 ,  300 . 
     When the signal-transmission medium  200  having been inserted into the electric connector  100  is to be taken out of the electric connector  100 , the releasers  35  (see  FIG. 10 ) protruding beyond an upper surface of the electrically insulative housing  10  in the vicinity of the opposite side edges of the electrically insulative housing  10  are compressed. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the locker  31  are caused to downwardly move together with the lock arm  40 , and accordingly, the locker  31  is released out of the cut-out  201  of the signal-transmission medium  200 . Then, by pulling the signal-transmission medium  200  in a direction indicated with an arrow D, as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the signal-transmission medium  200  can be gradually taken out of the groove  11 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The electric connector in accordance with the present invention can be broadly employed, for instance, in fields of electric/electronic industry and automobile industry as an electric connector for electrically connecting a signal-transmission medium such as FPC and FFC to a circuit board. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with the certain preferred embodiment with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 15 , it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims. 
     The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-94094 filed on Apr. 17, 2012 including specification, claims, drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.