Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Backqround of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector unit into
which a conductor, such as a flexible cable, is
inserted for electrical connection.
Summary of the_In~enton
It is accordingly the object of this invention
to provide a connector unit which allows a multi-
conductor cable to be inserted thereinto, with a
smaller insertion force, without marring the
respective cable conductors.
According to this invention a connector unit is
provided which includes a housing having an opening
and connection terminals arranged in the opening, and
a movable member made of an insulating material and
adapted to be inserted into the opening of the
housing. The connection terminals have elastic
contact portions to be brought into contact with
corresponding conductors, in a direction
perpendicular to that in which said conductors are
inserted into the opening of the housing. The
movable member has cam projections extending in a
direction from that end of the movable member at
which the movable member i5 inserted into the housing
to the other end of the movable member. The
dimension and position of the cam projection being so
selected that, when the movable member is partially
inserted into the opening of the housing, the cam
projection presses the elastic contact portion to
provide such a clearnace as to allow the conductor to
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be inserted there and, with ~he movable member in a
fully inserted position, the pressing of the elastic
contact portion by the cam projection is released to
allow the conductor to be electrically connected to
the elastic contact portion.
Thus the conductor can be inserted into the
aforementioned clearance without being brought into
contact with the elastic contact portion of the
connection terminal. Thus, such an insertion
operation can be performed with a smaller insertion
force, there being no possibility that the conductor
will be marred due to the frictional contacting of
the conductor with the elastic contact portion of the
connection terminal, as encountered in a conventional
connector unit.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 are YiewS for explaining a
conventional connector unit;
Figs. 3A and 3B show a connector unit according
to an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 3A being a
perspective view, partly cutaway, and Fig. 3B being a
cross-sectional view, taken along line B-B in Fig.
3A;
Fig. 4 is a view showing a connection terminal
of the connection unit of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views showing
ths connector unit of Fig. 3 with the movable member
partially inserted into its housing;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the
connector unit in Fig. 6 with a cable inserted
thereinto; and
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Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view sho~Jing the
state in which the movable member is fully inserted
into the housing of the connector unit,
Detailed Description o~ the Preferred Embodiment
Fig. l shows one form of a connector unit to
which a flexible cable is connected. Flexible cable
70 is comprised of an array of conductors 71 formed
on the surface of sheet-like insulation 72 and
covered with insulation 73. Where cable 70 is to be
connected to connector unit 80, the insulations 72
and 73 are removed at their end portions to expose
conductors 71.
Within housing 81 of eonnector unit 80 an array
of conneetion terminals 82 is plaeed so that the
eonneetion terminals eorrespond to eonductors 71 of
cable 70. The respective eonneetion terminal is
formed of an elastie metal sheet and has base portion
83, elastic contact portion 84 extending from base
portion 83, and pin section 85. Tip portion 84a of
elastic eontact portion 84 abuts against base portion
83 of eonnection terminal 82. Pin section 85 extends
outward from housing 81 and tip portion 85a of pin
section 85 is inserted into a corresponding through
hole of, for example, a printed circuit board.
Where cable 70 is to be connected to connector
unit 80, cable conductor 71 is forced into a pressure
contact zone between base portion 83 and tip portion
84a of elastic contact portion 84 sf connection
terminal 82. Fig. 2 shows the state in which cable
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70 is inserted into connector unit 80. Conductor 71
is urged, under an elastic recovery force of bent
portion 84b of elastic contact portion 84, to~lard
base portion 83, so that conductor 71 is in elastic
contact with connection terminal 82.
Cable 70 is inserted into connector unit 80 such
that it causes the pressure contact zone formed
between the base portion and th2 tip portion of the
elastic contact portion of connection terminal to be
opened aside. Since the conductor pushes tip portion
84a of the elastic contact portion of the connection
terminal outward upon inserting the cable into
connector unit 80, it frictionally contacts tip
portion 84a of connection terminal 82. As a result,
the conductor surface is marred or damaged and,
moreoYer, a strong force is required in order to open
tip portion 84a of the connection terminal aside.
Where the cable has a greater number of conductors to
be matingly connected to a corresponding number of
connection terminals, then a greater insertion force
is necessary due to the sum of individual insertion
forces acting in the insertion of the cable into the
connector unit. It is difficult to perform such a
connector operation efficiently.
The connector unit according to one embodiment of
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this invention will now be explained belo~ in greater
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 3A shows connector unit 10, and cable 50 to
be connected to the connector unit. The connector unit
is comprised of housing 20 and movable member 30.
Housing 20 has opening 21 in which connection ter-
minals 40 are arranged in a parallel array. The connec-
tion terminal has V-bent, elastic contact portion 41 at
one end portion, as shown expanded in Fig. 4. Elastic
contact portion 41 of the connection terminal permits
conductors 51 of cable 50 to be pressed in a direction
perpendicular to that in whieh the cable is inserted
into housing 20. In this embodiment, the end portion of
elastic contact portion 41 of connection terminal 40 is
inwardly curved to provide end face 41a to be contacted
by conductor 51. Pin section 42 is formed at the other
end portion of connection terminal 40 and extends beyond
housing 20 upon inserting the connection member into the
housing. End 42a of pin section 42 can be connected to,
for example, a printed circuit board.
Movable member 30 includes frame 32 having open-
ing 31 corresponding to opening 21 of housing 20, and
main body 33 extending from bottom 32a in a direction
perpendicular to the frame. Body 33 has such dimen-
sions as to be received into opening 21 of the hous-
ing. The body provides flat surface 34 on the side
of frame 32. On the surface portion of body 33 to
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be inserted into housing 20, cam projections 35 are
arranged at a predetermined interval and extend from
end 33a of the movable member located on the side
of housing 20, toward frame 32. The bottom surface
of an elongated channel between adjacent cam projec-
tions 35 is flush wi~h flat surface 34 of body 33.
The distance between the adjacent cam projections 35
is selected so as to permit the forward ends of con-
ductors 51 of cable 50 to be located in respective
channels 36.
As shown in Fig. 3B, wall 37 is formed on the sur-
face of respective cam projection 35 such that it is
higher than the cam projection. When movable member 30
is inserted into housing 20, each wall 37 is located
between adjacent connection terminals 40 in the housing
to allow connection terminals 40 to be individually iso-
lated one by one, so that respective walls 37 provide
partition walls.
Fig. 5 shows the state in which the forward end
portion of movable member 30 is partiall~ inserted into
opening 21 of housing 200 As shown in Fig. 5, bending
angle 41b of elastic contact portion 41 of connection
terminal 40 is so selected that, with connsction termi-
nal 4~ in an unstressed state, end face 41a is located
a~ a lower level than upper surface 35a of cam projection
35 of the movable member and that, with conductor 51
placed on flat surface 34, end ace 41a is brought, with
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sufficient pressure, into contact with the conductor.
Upon ~urther pushing movable member 30 into housing
20, end face 41a of elastic contact portion 41 of con-
nection terminal 40 is pushed onto upper surface 35a of
cam projection 35 of the movable member, as shown in
Fig. 6. If, in this state, conductors 51 of cable 50
are inserted into respective channels 36, as shown in
Fig. 7, conductors 51 can be inserted below end face
41a without contacting the connection terminal at all.
Upon further pushing movable member 30 into the housing,
upper surface 35a of cam projection 35 completely passes
under end face 41a of elastic contact portion 41 of con-
nection terminal 40. At the same time, end face 41a is
brought into pressure contact with conductor 51, under
an elastic force of the elastic contact portion 41, as
shown in Fig. 8, so that conductor 51 is positively in
contact with elastic contact portion 41, to assure a
positive electrical connection.
Between the completion of insertion of the conduc-
tor, as shown in Fig. 7, and the completion of insertion
of the movable member, as shown in Fig. ~, conductors
51 are not moved and, when conductor ~1 is contacted by
elastic contact portion 41, no relative movement between
the conductor and the elastic contact portion occurs and
thus, there is no friction between the conductor and the
elastic contact portion 41 so that the conductors are
not marred or damaged. Furthermore, elastic contact
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portion ~1 is pressed inwardly by cam projection 35,
leaving sufficient clearance (channel 35 in this embodi-
ment) to allow conductor 51 to be inserted there. As
a result, the insertion operation can be effected with
a very small pressing ~orce.
Two frames 38 are formed, one each at both end por-
tions of the movable member, and extend as side frames
such that they are brought into locking engagement with
two projections 23 and 24 of housing 20, to prevent the
movable member from being inadvertently removed from the
associated housing. That is, one side 39 of rectangular
frame 38 which is located closer to the housing is snap-
fitted at a location between projections 23 and 24,
thereby preventing the movable member from being inad-
vertently removed from the housing and thus fixing themovable member to the housingD
In the aforementioned embodiment, cutout 43 is
provided at end face 41a to permit conductor 15 of
circular cross-section to be pressed by both sides of
cutout 43 upon inserting the movable member into the
housing. HowPver, the cross-sectional configuration
of the conductor, as well as the configuration of the
aforementioned contacting area, is not restricted
thereto. The conductor to be connected to the connec-
tor unit may be not only of a pin type but also of astrand type, and may be of an ordinary type not associ-
ated with a flexible cable.
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Although in the aforementioned embodiment the cam
projection is formed at each side of channel 36 for
conductor ~1, it may be formed at one side only. Al-
though in the aforementioned embodiment a clearance for
inserting the conductor has been explained as constitut-
ing a channel between the adjacent cam projections, it
is not restricted ~hereto. For example, a respective
cam projection may be located riyht beneath a corre-
sponding connection terminal, in which case a tunnel-
1~ like passage is formed in the cam projection7 so thatthe conductor may be inserted into the tunnel-like
passage with the elastic contact portion of the con-
nection terminal in contact with the surface of the
cam projection.
