JP2003217731A - Waterdrop inflow preventive structure to connector joining part of signal transmission cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of a signal leak phenomenon in a joining part 24 between a FPC cable 20 and a connector 22 by a waterdrop sticking to a surface of the FPC cable 20. <P>SOLUTION: A signal transmission cable unit is composed of the FPC cable (a signal transmission belt) 20 and the connector 22. The FPC cable 20 is constituted by sandwiching a conductive wire formed of copper foil by an insulating film, and the conductive wire is connected to a connector terminal 26. When fixing the connector 22 to an electronic part A 10, the FPC cable 20 is extended in the horizontal direction from the connector 22 in a state where its belt-like plane part has an inclination to a horizontal plane. A projecting part 32 is arranged on the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20, and has an inclination of lowering for separating from the connector 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an FPC cable,
That is, the present invention relates to a signal transmission cable unit including a signal transmission band formed by sandwiching a conductive wire made of copper foil with an insulating film.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In addition to audio and car navigation systems, various devices are formed of copper foil as a signal transmission cable for transmitting and receiving information between electronic components inside the devices in order to miniaturize the devices themselves. FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) cables configured by sandwiching conductive wires between insulating films made of polyimide, polyester or the like have been used. This FPC cable is thin, light,
Since it is bendable and the circuit can be built into itself in some cases, it allows a free wiring design.

The situation in which the FPC cable used in the equipment is used will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, FP
The C cable 20 connects the electronic component A10 and the electronic component B50, which are arranged apart from each other in the horizontal direction, for example, the display device of the car navigation system and the SW input panel, and transmits signals transmitted and received therebetween. The FPC cable 20 has a connector 22 attached to one end thereof, while the electronic component A10 is provided with a socket 12 for connecting the connector 22. By inserting the connector 22 into the socket 12, the electronic component A10 is inserted. Can be connected to the electronic component B50. At this time, the socket 12 is arranged with the long axis, which is the direction in which the terminals 14 are arranged, oriented in the up-down direction for the convenience of the device design.
Therefore, the FPC cable 20 is also arranged so that the plane portion of the FPC cable 20 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0004]

When the equipment is used in a situation where the environment changes, the temperature and humidity around the FPC cable 20 change, for example, in the daytime, both the temperature and the humidity are high. Then, at night, the temperature drops, and moisture in the air saturates to cause dew condensation on the flat surface of the FPC cable 20 to adhere.

The adhering water droplets flow toward the lower part of the flat surface, reach the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20, travel along the lower end 28, and flow toward the connector 22. Then, the joint portion 2 between the FPC cable 20 and the connector terminal 26
There is a problem in that the signal leak occurs by wetting 4 and short-circuiting the conductive lines or grounding the signal line.

If the device is a device to be loaded in a vehicle such as an automobile or a truck, or is a part of an automatic carrier used in a production line of a factory, the device is moved. When vibrations are generated, the traveling direction changes, or the inertia of the water droplets during acceleration / deceleration causes the water droplets adhering to the FPC cable 20 to flow laterally as they are, and as a result, the joint portion 2 of the FPC cable 20 and the connector 22.
There was a problem that the 4 was wet and a signal leak was generated.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent a signal leak phenomenon from occurring at a joint between an FPC cable and a connector due to water droplets attached to the surface of the FPC cable.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a strip-shaped signal transmission band formed by sandwiching a conductive wire made of a copper foil with an insulating film and attached to one end of the signal transmission band and joined to the conductive wire. When the connector is fixed to the electronic component, the signal transmission band is extended in the horizontal direction from the connector, and the band-shaped flat portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. In the signal transmission cable, at least a part of the lower end of the band-shaped signal transmission band has an inclination that becomes lower as it goes away from the connector, and prevents water droplets traveling along the lower end of the signal transmission band from flowing to the connector terminal side. .

Further, when the signal transmission band extending in the horizontal direction is further extended in the middle of the signal transmission band, a portion having an inclination that lowers with distance from the connector,
It is preferable that it is provided between a portion of the signal transmission band extending upward and the connector terminal.

Further, according to the present invention, a belt-shaped signal transmission band formed by sandwiching a conductive wire made of copper foil with an insulating film, and a terminal attached to one end of the signal transmission band and joined to the conductive wire. When the connector is fixed to an electronic component, the signal transmission band is extended from the connector in a horizontal direction, and the band-shaped flat portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. In the signal transmission cable, a notched concave portion is provided at the lower end or the upper end of the signal transmission band.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A signal transmission cable unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The signal transmission cable unit according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the signal transmission cable unit is composed of the FPC cable 20 and the connector 22, connects the electronic component A10 to another electronic component (not shown), and transmits information transmitted and received therebetween.

The FPC cable 20 is constructed by sandwiching a plurality of conductive wires made of copper foil between insulating films made of polyimide, polyester or the like. At this time, since the insulating film is a strip having a predetermined width, the FPC
The cable 20 also has a band-shaped signal transmission band. A connector 22 having a plurality of terminals 26 arranged in a line therein is attached to one end of the signal transmission band, and a conductive wire of the FPC cable 20 is joined to each terminal 26 by soldering. The connector 22 is an electronic component A10.
It has a shape that can be attached to and detached from the socket 12 of the connector 22, and when inserted, the terminal 26 of the connector 22 and the socket 12
The terminal 14 of is connected. Due to the design of the electronic component, the sockets 12 are arranged so that the terminals 14 are arranged in the vertical direction. Therefore, the connectors 22 are also arranged so that the terminals 26 are arranged in the vertical direction. The FPC cable 20 to be joined is extended from the connector 22 in the horizontal direction in a state where the strip-shaped plane portion is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20
A convex portion 32 protruding downward is provided on a part of the above. The convex portion 32 is obtained by cutting out the insulating film forming the FPC cable 20 in a shape having the convex portion 32.

The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that the strip-shaped FPC is used.
That is, at least a part of the lower end 28 of the cable 20 is inclined such that the lower the distance from the connector 22, the lower the inclination. The water droplets condensed on the flat surface of the FPC cable 20 flow downward due to gravity,
Reaching the lower end 28 and flowing laterally along the lower end 28, water droplets cannot flow toward the connector 22 in this inclined portion. Therefore, the water droplets condensed at the position farther from the connector 22 than the inclined portion do not flow to the connector 22 side along the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20, and the joint portion 24
It has the effect of preventing wetness. Since water droplets condensed between the connector 22 and the inclined portion may flow to the connector 22, it is preferable that the inclination be closer to the connector 22. In addition, when the unit price is high due to the insulation material used, or when the shape is restricted due to space or the like, the above effect can be obtained by providing only the small protrusion 32.

In this embodiment, the FPC cable 20 is used.
Although the case where the plane portion is perpendicular to the horizontal plane has been described, the same effect can be obtained as long as the plane portion has an inclination with respect to the horizontal plane. That is, if the water droplets condensed on the flat surface portion of the FPC cable 20 flow toward the lower end 28, the water droplets do not flow toward the connector 22 due to the above-described characteristic inclination.

Next, a signal transmission cable unit according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 shows a configuration diagram of the signal transmission cable unit of the present embodiment.

The signal transmission cable unit of the second embodiment is composed of an FPC cable 20 and a connector 22 as in the first embodiment, and the connector 22 is inserted into the socket 12 of the electronic device A10 for connection. ing.
The FPC cable 20 is L-shaped, that is, it extends from the connector 22 in the horizontal direction first, and is bent upward in the middle of the extension.

The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that an inclination that becomes lower as the distance from the connector 22 increases is provided between the connector terminal 26 and the portion of the FPC cable 20 extending upward. In the area extending upward, the width of the FP is smaller than the width of the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20.
Since the area of the flat portion of the C cable 20 is large, the amount of water drops flowing down is large. Therefore, by sloping the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20 between the connector 22 and the portion extending upward, a large amount of water droplets flowing into the connector 22 can be selectively prevented.

Next, a signal transmission cable unit according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of the signal transmission cable unit of the present embodiment.

The signal transmission cable unit of the third embodiment comprises an FPC cable 20 and a connector 22 as in the second embodiment, and the connector 22 is inserted into the socket 12 of the electronic device A10 for connection. ing.
The FPC cable 20 is L-shaped as in the second embodiment, but a recess 34 that is cut out downward is provided in a part of the base of the upper end 30 that bends in an L-shape. .

The characteristic feature of this embodiment is that a notched recess 34 is provided in the signal transmission band. As a result, for example, when an automobile runs on a curve and a water drop flows laterally by centrifugal force due to its inertia, the recess 3
4 does not occur, the width of the flow becomes W ′ because the flow of the water drop shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. 3 occurs, but when the concave portion 34 is present, the flow of the dotted arrow does not occur and the width of the flow is narrow. W. That is, the width of the lateral flow is narrowed by providing the concave portion 34. Therefore, the joint 2 of the connector 22
Since the amount of water drops flowing in the four directions is reduced, the joint 24
There is an effect that it is possible to reduce the possibility that the signal gets wet and the signal leaks. A recess 34 is formed in the upper end 30 of the FPC cable 20.
In the case of providing the concave portion 34, the flow indicated by the arrow is blocked by the concave portion 34 and then flows downward.
It is preferable that the convex portion 32 is provided at the lower end of the portion where the is provided. Further, even if the above-mentioned recess 34 is provided on the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20, it is possible to block the flow of water droplets in the lateral direction. In addition, it is preferable that the concave portion 34 has an appropriate R shape to avoid concentration of stress and prevent breakage.

Next, a signal transmission cable unit according to the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows a configuration diagram of the flat cable unit of the present embodiment.

The signal transmission cable unit of the fourth embodiment comprises an FPC cable 20 and a connector 22, and the connector 22 is the socket 12 of the electronic device A10.
Plugged in and connected. The FPC cable 20 is
Although it is L-shaped as in the second embodiment, the lower end 28 of the FPC cable 20 is provided with an inclination in a wide range from a joint portion 24 with the connector 22 to a bending position.
By providing such a wide inclination, it is possible to remove the water droplets that adhere to the horizontal surface of the FPC cable 20 in a wide range, which is effective.

[0024]

According to the present invention, at least a part of the lower end of the signal transmission band of the signal transmission cable is provided with an inclination that becomes lower as it gets away from the connector. It can be prevented from flowing to the side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a signal transmission cable according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a signal transmission cable according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a signal transmission cable according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a signal transmission cable according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional signal transmission cable.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 electronic parts A, 12 sockets, 14 socket terminals, 20 FPC cables, 22 connectors, 24 joints, 26 connector terminals, 28 lower ends, 30 upper ends, 3
2 convex part, 34 concave part, 50 electronic component B.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A band-shaped signal transmission band formed by sandwiching a conductive wire made of copper foil with an insulating film, and a connector having a terminal attached to one end of the signal transmission band and joined to the conductive line. A signal transmission cable, wherein the signal transmission band is extended from the connector in a horizontal direction when the connector is fixed to an electronic component, and the strip-shaped flat portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. At least a part of the lower end of the band-shaped signal transmission band has an inclination that becomes lower as it goes away from the connector, and prevents water droplets that propagate along the lower end of the signal transmission band from flowing to the connector terminal side. Cable unit. 2. The signal transmission cable according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmission band extending in the horizontal direction further extends upward in the middle of the signal transmission band, and the further it is from the connector, the further away. The part that has a downward slope is
A signal transmission cable unit, which is provided between a portion of the signal transmission band extending upward and the connector terminal. 3. A belt-shaped signal transmission band formed by sandwiching a conductive wire made of copper foil between insulating films, and a connector having a terminal attached to one end of the signal transmission band and joined to the conductive wire. A signal transmission cable, wherein the signal transmission band is extended from the connector in a horizontal direction when the connector is fixed to an electronic component, and the strip-shaped flat portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. A signal transmission cable unit, characterized in that a cutout recess is provided at the lower end or the upper end of the signal transmission band.