GB2301492A

GB2301492A - Flexible-board connector

Info

Publication number: GB2301492A
Application number: GB9610521A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yuichi Morita
Original assignee: NEC Corp
Current assignee: NEC Corp
Priority date: 1995-05-19
Filing date: 1996-05-20
Publication date: 1996-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 2016-05-20
Also published as: GB9610521D0; JPH08315928A; JP2800719B2; GB2301492B

Abstract

A flexible-board connector of the present invention is provided with a connector housing 10 having an opening 11 through which a flexible board 1 is inserted or extracted. A plurality of U-shaped conductive contacts 20, each having a protrusion 21, are set at intervals in parallel, and contact with the board 1. Each contact 20 is provided with a terminal 22 extended from one end to protrude to the outside of the housing 10 and electrically connect to a printed circuit board or the like. Moreover, the housing is provided with a slider 30 inserted/extracted through the opening 11 and movably engaged with the inside of the housing 10 to press the board 1 against the contact 20 and bring it into contact with a protrusion 21.

Description

FLEXIBLE-BOARD CONNECTOR The present invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting a flexible board with a printed circuit board. A flexible-board connector to be described below as an example is particularly effective in using the mounting space of a printed circuit board to be connected and in minimising the likelihood of a contact being damaged or dropping out.

To connect a flexible board with a printed circuit board, a flexible-board connector (hereafter referred to as a connector) is generally used.

Structures disclosed in the official gazettes of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 283578/1987, 30185/1990 and 67582/1990 disclose previously proposed connectors.

However, the above previously proposed connectors require a slider space for enabling the pressure-welding of a board and do not use the space effectively.

Moreover, in the case of the previously proposed connectors, the back of a connector housing is also open in order to insert a contact, and the rear end of the contact is exposed to the outside. Therefore, the contact may be damaged, short circuited by another part, or easily drop out from the back of the connector housing.

Features of a flexible-board connector to be described below, as an example, are that it enables the mounting space to be used effectively and that it minimises the likelihood of a contact being damaged, or dropping out.

In a particular arrangement, illustrative of the invention, and to be described below, a connector housing has an opening through which a flexible-board may be inserted or removed. Conductive contacts set at certain intervals and in parallel, and each having a protrusion for contacting the flexible-board, are provided in the connector housing. Moreover, the housing is provided with a slider which may be inserted or removed through the opening in the housing, be movably engaged with the inside of the housing, and be used in pressure-welding a flexible-board, which has been inserted into the housing, to a contact by bringing the board into contact with the protrusion. The contact is provided with a terminal which extends from the contact, protrudes on the outside of the connector housing, and may be electrically connected to another printed circuit board.The terminal protrudes on the outside of the housing via the opening through which the slider of the housing is inserted or removed, and a portion of the terminal which protrudes from the opening is provided with a stepped portion, so that the terminal does not contact the flexible board or the slider.

Because, in the above described arrangement the terminal for external connection protrudes on the outside via the opening through which the slider of the connecting housing is inserted or removed, the sliding direction of the slider for use in pressure-welding a board coincides with the direction in which the terminal protrudes.

Thereby, the sliding range of the slider at the front of the connector housing, and the soldering range of the terminal act in a cooperative way. As a result, it is possible effectively to use the mounting space of the other printed circuit board.

Moreover, because the portion of the terminal which protrudes from the opening is stepped, in such a way that the lower portion is towards the lower side of the connector housing, any solder applied to the terminal in making a connection is unlikely to contact the flexible board and the slider which is to be inserted or removed, neither will it interrupt the insertion or removal of the flexible board or the slider.

Furthermore, because the terminal protrudes on the outside via the opening in the connector housing, neither the contact nor the terminal is exposed from the back of the connector housing, as opposed to the previously proposed structure. Furthermore, the contact is not likely to be short circuited by any other part, or to drop out from the connector housing.

An embodiment illustrative of the invention will how be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view from beneath, partially cut away, of a flexible-board connector, without a flexible-board, and Figures 2A and 2B are enlarged sectional views of the connector housing of the flexible-board connector taken along the line A-A of Fig. 1, and viewed respectively with a flexible-board in place and with no board in place.

In the drawings, a connector housing 10 constitutes a connector body, which is in the form of a frame provided with an opening 11 through which a flexible-board 1 to be connected may be inserted or withdrawn. A slit 13 for guiding a slider 30, to be described later, is formed on both sides of the connector housing 10 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 to guide contacts 20, to be described later, in the sliding direction.

Moreover, in the case of the connector housing 10, the innermost part of the inner wall facing the opening 11 is comparatively thick and provides a plurality of parallel holding grooves 12 arranged at predetermined intervals for holding the contacts 20, as will be described later.

Furthermore, the inner walls providing the holding grooves 12 serve as stoppers against which the front end of the flexible-board 1 engages when inserted into the connector housing 10.

The contacts 20 are made of a conductive flexible spring member and their cross sections are in the form of the character U, open at the opening 11 side of the connector housing 10, as shown in Figs. 2A and 2B.

Moreover, each of the contacts 20 is held in its respective holding groove 12 in the connector housing 10. The contacts 20 are spaced part at a certain interval in parallel like the teeth of a comb. The top and bottom surfaces, and the rear ends of the contacts 20 are in contact with the inner wall of the connector housing 10. Each contact 20 is inserted through the opening 11 in the connector housing 10 and the rear end of each contact 20 is held in its respective holding groove 12 within the connector housing 10. Upon the insertion of a contact 20 into the housing 10, an upper part of the U-shaped contact member 20 engages with the top of the connector housing 10, as a result of its spring characteristics, in a recess behind a front lip of the opening 11 in the connector housing 10, so that it does not drop out from the connector housing 10. A protrusion 21 on the lower arm of the contact 20 contacts the bottom of a flexible-board 1 upon its insertion via the opening 11, as shown in Fig 2. The front end of the lower arm or bottom of the contact 20 is provided with a terminal 22 which protrudes on the outside of the connector housing 10 through the opening 11.

The front end of the bottom or lower arm of the contact 20 extends to the terminal 22 and the terminal 22 protrudes on the outside of the connector housing 10 via the opening 11.

When the terminal 22 is soldered to another printed circuit board, not illustrated, or the like, mounted flatly, the flexible-board 1 is electrically connected to the other printed circuit board or the like.

Moreover, the terminal 22 is provided with a stepped portion 23, at a different lower level, towards the bottom of the connector housing 10, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B.

By forming the stepped portion 23, the terminal 22 does not contact the flexible-board 1, or a slider 30, which is to be inserted or removed via the opening 11, even if the terminal 22 is soldered to the other printed circuit board or the like, because the soldered portion is at a lower level.

The slider 30 may be inserted or removed through the opening 11 and caused to engage with the connector housing 10 in order to pressure-weld the flexible-board 1 to the contact 20 and prevent the flexible-board 1 from dropping out of the housing 10.

The slider 30 is guided by the slits 13 formed at each side of the connector housing 10, so that it can slide in the connector housing 10 in parallel with the insertion/removal direction of the flexible-board 1. When the slider 30 is completely inserted and the upstanding edge portion of the rear end of the slider 30 engages the side of the opening 11 in the inserting direction, it is secured in the connector housing 10. With the slider 30 inserted into the connector housing 10, the flexible-board 1 previously inserted into the connector housing 10 is thereby pressed against the bottom of the connector housing 10. Thus, the bottom of the flexible-board 1 is pressurewelded to the protrusion 21 of the contact 20 so that it is made difficult to remove the inserted flexible-board 1 from the connector housing 10.

Moreover, the front end in the insertion direction of the slider 30 is chamfered so that it can easily be inserted into or removed from the connector housing 10 and even pressure can be applied to the flexible board 1.

The method of operation in which the flexible-board is employed with the connector will now be described.

First, the slider 30 is removed to the outside via the opening 11 of the connector housing 10. In the above arrangement, a gap is formed between the slider 30 and the protrusion 21 of the contact 20, as shown in Fig. 2B, and it is possible, comparatively easily, to insert the flexible-board 1 into the gap. The insertion of the flexible-board 1 is completed when the front end of the board 1 contacts the front edge of the walls of the holding grooves 12.

In this situation, the terminal 22 of the contact 20 is hidden by the slider 30 when viewed from above.

The insertion of the slider 30, into the connector housing 10 in the above situation, results in its lower surface and rear-end portion of the slider 30 being pressed against the flexible-board 1, and the outer upper upstanding edge of the slider 30 contacting the edge of the opening 11, and the board 1 thus being secured to the connector housing 10 (the state shown in Fig. 2A).

Thereby, the lower surface of the flexible-board 1 is pressure-welded to the protrusion 21 of the contact 20 and electrically connected with it. Moreover, the slider 30 serves as a stop to prevent the inserted flexible-board 1 from being removed from the connector housing 10. Because, the terminal 22 protrudes beyond the rear end of the slider 30 in the above condition, as shown in Fig. 1, it is possible easily to solder the terminal to another printed circuit board, not-illustrated. Moreover, because the terminal 22 is provided with the step portion 23, which is lower than the opening 11 towards the connector housing 10, the height of a soldered portion of the terminal being kept low, even if the terminal is soldered to another printed circuit board, and therefore the terminal does not contact the flexible-board 1 or slider 30.Thereby, even after the terminal 22 has been secured, it is possible easily to slide the slider 30 and insert or remove the flexible-board 1.

Moreover, because the terminal 22 and the slider 30 are located at the same end of the connector housing 10, the sliding range of the slider 30 and the soldered portion make use of a common space. Therefore, it is possible to mount other parts on a printed circuit board at the opposite side of the connector housing 10 to the opening 11 and effectively use the mounting space of the printed circuit board.

Thus, it will be seen that in the flexible-board connector described above, the terminal 22 protrudes outside the housing 10 through the opening 11 of the connector housing 10, and the sliding direction of the slider 30 for pressure-welding the board 1 coincides with the protruding direction of the terminal 22 for making external connections.

Thus, because the outward sliding range of the slider 30 and the soldering area of the terminal 22 occupy a space in common, it is possible effectively to use the mounting space of another printed circuit board or the like.

Moreover, because the portion of the terminal 22 which protrudes from the opening 11 is provided with a stepped portion 23, so that it is lower towards the bottom side of the housing 10, the terminal 22 and soldered connections thereto do not contact the flexible-board 1 and slider 30 during insertion or removal, or interrupt the insertion or removal of the flexible-board 1 and the slider 30.

Furthermore, because the terminal 22 protrudes on the outside of the housing 10 via the opening 11 of the connector housing 10, neither the contact 20 nor the terminal 22 is exposed from the back of the connector housing 10, which is different from previously proposed structures. Furthermore, the likelihood of the contact 20 being damaged, shorted by another part, or falling out from the connector housing 10 is minimised.

While the present invention has been illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment, by way of example, it is to be understood that variations, and modifications thereof, as well as other embodiments may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A flexible-board connector for connecting a flexible-board with other printed circuit board or the like, the connector including: a connector housing having an opening through which said flexible board is inserted or extracted: a conductive contact set in said connector housing at a certain interval in parallel and provided with a protrusion contacting said flexible board; a slider inserted/extracted through the opening of said connector housing and movably engaged with the inside of said connector housing to pressure-weld the flexible board inserted into said connector housing toward said contact and bring the board into contact with said protrusion; and a terminal extended from said contact to protrude to the outside of said connector housing and electrically connected to said other printed circuit board or the like.

2. The flexible-board connector according to claim 1, wherein said terminal is protruded to the outside from said opening through said slider of said connector housing is inserted or extracted and the portion of the terminal protruded from said opening is provided with a level difference portion so that said terminal does not contact said flexible board or slider.

3. The flexible-board connector according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of said contact is formed into the character U opened at the opening side of said connector housing and said terminal is formed at one-side protruded portion of said U-shaped contact0 and the front end of a protruded portion not provided with said terminal of said U-shaped contact contacts the inside of the opening of said connector housing.

4. The flexible-board connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said contact is made of an elastic member.

5. A flexible-board connector as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.