JP2002289306A - Connecting structure of flexible cable and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting structure of a flexible cable and a connector wherein damage and cost-up of the flexible cable and the connector are suppressed and wherein workability of connecting work is enhanced and a stable connecting condition can be realized. SOLUTION: In the connecting structure wherein a wiring pattern 3 is formed on a surface of a flexible substrate 2 by a patterning method, and wherein the flexible cable 1 in which a reinforcing plate 4 is pasted to the tip side of the flexible substrate 2 and the connector 5 mounted on a circuit board 6 in which the wiring pattern is formed by the patterning method are equipped and wherein the flexible cable 1 is connected with the connector 5 in a posture nearly in parallel with the surface of the circuit board 6, the flexible cable 1 has positioning marks 7a, 7b formed on the surface of the peripheral part of the flexible substrate 2 by the patterning method, and the circuit board 6 has positioning marks 8a, 8b formed by the patterning method on the position coinciding with the positioning marks 7a, 7b in such a state that the flexible cable 1 is connected with the connector 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure between a flexible cable and a connector, which is suitably applied to, for example, connecting a flexible cable to a drive circuit board of a liquid crystal display device.

Here, the patterning method in this specification refers to a method in which a film is formed on the entire surface of a film, such as the surface of a substrate, and then patterned by photolithography. Photolithography means resist coating,
Exposure using a mask corresponding to the pattern to be formed,
A method of forming a predetermined pattern through development, etching, and peeling steps.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a side view showing a first prior art. The flexible cable 21 is configured by forming a wiring pattern 23 on the surface of a flexible substrate 22. In the flexible cable 21, the wiring pattern on the distal end side becomes the terminal portion 23 a, and the flexible substrate 2
A reinforcing plate 24 is provided on the surface on the side opposite to the surface on which the terminal portion 23a is formed, on the side of the distal end portion of the terminal 2. On the other hand, connector 2
Numeral 5 is a relatively flat rectangular parallelepiped, and a rectangular parallelepiped recess 25 formed extending from one side to the opposite side.
a. The terminal portion 2 is provided on one inner side surface of the concave portion 25a.
5b are formed. The connector 25 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) on which a wiring pattern is formed such that the terminal portions 25b of the concave portions 25a are parallel to the circuit board.

[0004] Flexible cable 21 and connector 25
The connection is made by inserting the flexible cable 21 into the recess 25a of the connector 25 in a posture substantially parallel to the surface of the circuit board, and securely connecting the terminal portion 23a of the flexible cable 21 and the terminal portion 25b of the connector 25. This is realized by pushing the flexible cable 21 until the distal end surface 21a comes into contact with the bottom surface 25c of the concave portion 25.

In the connection structure shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 23a of the flexible cable 21 and the terminal 25
It is necessary to make the leading end surface 21a of the flexible cable 21 abut on the bottom surface 25c of the concave portion 25 in order to reliably connect the cable b. However, there is a problem that it cannot be confirmed that the flexible cable 21 is in a reliable contact.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the second prior art. This second prior art is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 61-263077.
No. 6,009,045. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem of the first related art, in the connection structure shown in FIG. 6, the distal end of the flexible cable 21 is brought into contact with the distal end surface 21a of the flexible cable 21 against the bottom surface 25c of the connector 25. A positioning mark 26 is provided at a portion where the reinforcing plate 24 provided on the side protrudes from the end face of the connector 25 and is exposed. The positioning mark 26 is constituted by, for example, a through hole formed in the reinforcing plate 24.

If the connection operation of the flexible cable 21 is performed using the positioning mark 26 as a mark, a reliable connection state can be realized. That is, when the flexible cable 21 is connected to the connector 25, the flexible cable 21 is inserted until the positioning mark 26 reaches a predetermined position, for example, a position where the positioning mark 26 comes into contact with the end face of the connector 25.
The terminal portion 23a of the flexible cable 21 and the terminal portion 25b of the connector 25 can be reliably connected to the bottom surface 25c of the connector 25.

[0008]

The above-mentioned second prior art has the following problems. First, when the positioning mark 26 is provided near the center of the reinforcing plate 24 in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the flexible cable 21), even if the flexible cable 21 is inserted into the connector 25 in a state inclined in the left-right direction. Positioning mark 26
Is substantially at the center, and the deviation from the position in the normal state is small. Therefore, the worker may not be able to recognize that the flexible cable 21 is tilted, and it is very difficult to prevent the flexible cable 21 from being inserted in a tilted state.

In order to prevent the flexible cable 21 from being inserted into the connector 25 in an inclined state,
When the positioning mark 26 is provided near the width direction end of the reinforcing plate 24, the distance between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole serving as the positioning mark 26 and the end surface of the reinforcing plate 24 becomes short, so that the portion near the positioning mark 26 is used. Therefore, there is a problem that the reinforcing plate 24 is easily peeled off.

[0010] Further, the positioning mark 26 itself is misaligned due to misalignment when manufacturing the reinforcing plate 24 and misalignment when attaching the reinforcing plate 24 to the flexible substrate 22. Due to the displacement of the positioning mark 26, there is a problem that a stable connection state cannot be realized. For example, flexible cable 2
Although the terminal portion 23a of the first connector 1 and the terminal portion 25b of the connector 25 are securely connected, the positioning mark 2
6 may not be located at an appropriate position (the end face of the connector 25). In this case, the operator may try to push the flexible cable 21 into the connector 25 in order to ensure the connection, thereby damaging the flexible cable 21 and the connector 25. Also,
Even though the positioning mark 26 is located at a predetermined position, a case may occur in which the terminal 23a of the flexible cable 21 and the terminal 25b of the connector 25 are not securely connected. In this case, a connection failure may occur and cause a failure.

The reinforcing plate 24 is generally exposed by about 3 mm from the connector 25 with the flexible cable 21 inserted into the connector 25. When the positioning mark 26 is provided on the reinforcing plate 24, the positioning mark 26 must be provided on a part (a portion having a width of about 3 mm) of the reinforcing plate 24 exposed from the connector 25. There are limitations due to the above restrictions. Therefore, the recognizability of the positioning mark 26 is reduced, the workability when inserting the flexible cable 21 into the connector 25 is reduced, and the quality of the connection state is also reduced. On the other hand, if the size itself of the reinforcing plate 24 is increased, the positioning mark 26 can also be increased,
Although the recognizability of the positioning mark 26 is improved, the material cost increases and the cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a flexible cable and a connector which can suppress damage and cost increase of a flexible cable and a connector, improve workability of a connection work, and realize a stable connection state. The purpose is to provide a connection structure.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a flexible cable in which a wiring pattern is formed on a surface of a flexible substrate by a patterning method, and a reinforcing plate is adhered to a front end side of the flexible substrate. And a connector mounted on a circuit board on which the flexible cable is formed, and the flexible cable is connected to the connector in a posture substantially parallel to a surface of the circuit board.
A first positioning mark formed by a patterning method on a peripheral portion surface of the flexible substrate, and the circuit board has a first positioning mark on a surface thereof and the flexible cable connected to the connector. A connection structure between a flexible cable and a connector, comprising a second positioning mark formed by a patterning method at a position corresponding to the positioning mark.

According to the present invention, the first positioning mark of the flexible cable is formed on the flexible substrate. Therefore, it is not necessary to process the reinforcing plate as in the related art, and it is possible to prevent the flexible cable from being damaged due to peeling of the reinforcing plate. Further, the first positioning mark is formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate. Therefore, when the flexible is inserted into the connector in a tilted state, the displacement between the first positioning mark and the second positioning mark increases, so that the worker can easily recognize that the flexible cable is tilted, and the flexible cable is easily tilted. Can be prevented from being inserted in an inclined state. Further, the first and second positioning marks are formed by a patterning method. Therefore, the displacement of the position where the positioning mark is formed is smaller than when the positioning mark is formed by mechanical processing as in the related art. Thereby, if the flexible cable and the connector are connected so that the first positioning mark and the second positioning mark coincide with each other, a stable connection state can be realized. That is, it is possible to prevent the flexible cable and the connector from being damaged by pushing the flexible cable into the connector more than necessary, and to prevent the occurrence of a failure due to a poor connection between the terminal portions of the flexible cable and the connector.

Further, since the first positioning mark is formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate, it can be formed larger than in the case where the first positioning mark is formed on a reinforcing plate as in the related art. In addition, since the second positioning mark is also formed on the surface of the circuit board, the second positioning mark can be formed to have the same size as the first positioning mark. Therefore, the recognizability of the first and second positioning marks is improved, and the workability at the time of inserting the flexible cable into the connector is improved.
The quality of the connection state is also improved. Further, the first and second positioning marks are formed by a patterning method.
Therefore, by changing the shape of a mask used when forming a wiring pattern on a flexible substrate or a circuit board, a positioning mark can be formed. A circuit board can be manufactured at low cost.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that at least one of the first and second positioning marks is formed by changing a shape of a part of a wiring pattern.

According to the present invention, since the positioning mark is formed by changing the shape of the wiring pattern, it is possible to save space on the flexible board and the circuit board.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that at least one of the first and second positioning marks is formed at an interval from a wiring pattern.

According to the present invention, since the positioning marks are formed separately from the wiring pattern, the first and second positioning marks can be formed close to each other. Thereby, when inserting the flexible cable into the connector, it is easy to confirm the coincidence of the positioning marks, and a reliable connection can be made.

[0020]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view thereof. The flexible cable 1 is formed by forming a plurality of wiring patterns 3,..., 3 on the surface of a flexible substrate 2 by a patterning method. The flexible substrate 2 is a strip made of a translucent material, and the wiring patterns 3,..., 3 are formed in a straight line parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the flexible substrate 2.

In the flexible cable 1, the wiring patterns 3,..., 3 on the distal end side serve as terminals, and a reinforcing plate 4 is provided on the distal end side of the flexible board 2 on the surface opposite to the surface on which the terminals are formed. Is provided. The manufacturing tolerance of the reinforcing plate 4 is usually 0.3 mm or more, and the bonding accuracy of the reinforcing plate 4 is usually 0.3 mm or more. 1 and 2, the wiring pattern 3 is drawn as if it were formed on the same surface as the reinforcing plate 4, but this is because the flexible substrate 2 is made of a light-transmitting material. This is because the pattern 3 can be seen through, and is actually formed on the opposite surface.

On the other hand, the connector 5 has a relatively flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a rectangular parallelepiped recess formed extending from one side surface to the opposite side surface. A terminal portion is formed on one inner side surface of the concave portion. The connector 5 is mounted on a surface of a circuit board 6 on which a wiring pattern (not shown) is formed by a patterning method such that terminals in the concave portion are parallel to the circuit board 6. The positional accuracy of the connector 5 is 0.2 mm or less.

The connection between the flexible cable 1 and the connector 5 is performed by inserting the flexible cable 1 into the recess of the connector 5 in a posture substantially parallel to the surface of the circuit board 6, and connecting the terminals of the flexible cable 1 to the terminals of the connector 5. Is securely inserted by pushing the flexible cable 1 until the front end surface of the flexible cable 1 contacts the bottom surface of the concave portion.

In this embodiment, the flexible cable 1
The first positioning marks 7a and 7b (the reference numeral 7 is used when collectively referred to) are formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate 2 by a patterning method. The first positioning marks 7a and 7b correspond to the enlarged portion of FIG.
, The outermost two wiring patterns 3a, 3a,.
It is formed by changing the shape of 3b. Specifically, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 1, the first positioning mark 7a
Is a rectangular portion protruding rightward from the right side of the rightmost wiring pattern 3a. The other first positioning mark 7b is a rectangular portion protruding leftward from the left side of the leftmost wiring pattern 3b. This first
The positioning marks 7a, 7b of the wiring patterns 3,.
The mask 3 is formed by changing the shape of a mask used when the mask 3 is formed.

The second positioning marks 8a, 8b are formed by patterning on the surface of the circuit board 6 at positions corresponding to the first positioning marks 7a, 7b when the flexible cable 1 is connected to the connector 5.
(Shown by hatching in the enlarged portion of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Second positioning mark 8
Reference numerals a and 8b (the reference numeral 8 is used when generically used) are formed by changing the shape of the wiring pattern formed on the circuit board 6. Specifically, as shown in the enlarged portion of FIG. 1, the second positioning mark 8a is a long rectangular portion protruding leftward from the wiring pattern of the circuit board 6 toward the first positioning mark 7a. It is. The other second positioning mark 8b is a long rectangular portion protruding rightward from the wiring pattern of the circuit board 6 toward the first positioning mark 7b. The second positioning marks 8a and 8b are formed by changing the shape of a mask used when forming a wiring pattern of the circuit board 6.

The first and second positioning marks 7
The dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing a, 7b, 8a, 8b is 0.1 m
m and very good. Also, the second positioning mark 8
a and 8b may be formed at an interval from the wiring pattern of the circuit board 6. In this case, if the shape of the wiring pattern of the circuit board 6 permits, both ends of one strip may be used as the second positioning marks 8a and 8b.

When inserting the flexible cable 1 having the above-described structure into the connector 5, the operator aligns the first positioning marks 7a and 7b of the flexible cable 1 with the second positioning marks 8a and 8b of the circuit board 6. By inserting the flexible cable 1 into the connector 5 until then, it can be confirmed that the distal end surface of the flexible cable 1 is securely in contact with the bottom surface of the concave portion of the connector 5. Here, “match” means the first positioning mark 7
a, 7b and the second positioning marks 8a, 8b are positioned substantially on a straight line.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first positioning mark 7 of the flexible cable 1 is provided.
Since a and 7b are formed on the flexible substrate 2, it is not necessary to process the reinforcing plate 4 as in the conventional case, and it is possible to prevent the flexible cable 1 from being damaged due to peeling of the reinforcing plate 4.

Further, since the first positioning marks 7a and 7b are formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate 2, the connector 5 is mounted in a state where the flexible cable 1 is inclined.
, The displacement between the first positioning marks 7a and 7b and the second positioning marks 8a and 8b increases.
This makes it easy for an operator to recognize that the flexible cable 1 is tilted, and the flexible cable 1
Can be prevented from being inserted in an inclined state.

Further, the first and second positioning marks 7
Since a, 7b, 8a and 8b are formed by the patterning method, the positioning marks 7 and 8a and 8b are compared with the conventional case where the positioning marks are formed by mechanical processing.
8 is less likely to be displaced. Thereby, the first
If the flexible cable 1 and the connector 5 are connected so that the positioning mark 7 and the second positioning mark 8 match, a stable connection state can be realized. That is, it is possible to prevent the flexible cable 1 and the connector 5 from being damaged by pushing the flexible cable 1 into the connector 5 more than necessary, and to prevent the occurrence of a failure due to a poor connection between the terminals of the flexible cable 1 and the connector 5. it can.

Since the first positioning mark 7 is formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate 2, the first positioning mark 7 can be formed larger than the conventional case in which it is formed on the reinforcing plate 4. Further, since the second positioning mark 8 is also formed on the surface of the circuit board 6, it can be formed to have the same size as the first positioning mark 7. Therefore, the recognizability of the first and second positioning marks 7 and 8 is improved, the workability when inserting the flexible cable 1 into the connector 5 is improved, and the quality of the connection state is also improved.

Further, since the first and second positioning marks 7 and 8 are formed by a patterning method, the shape of a mask used when forming a wiring pattern on the flexible substrate 2 or the circuit substrate 6 is changed. The positioning marks 7 and 8 can be formed. by this,
There is no need to add a new manufacturing process, and the device can be manufactured at low cost. In addition, since the positioning marks 7 and 8 are formed by changing the shape of the wiring pattern, space can be saved.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a top view thereof. This embodiment is similar to the above-described embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference characters and detailed description is omitted. Note that, in the enlarged portion of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the positioning marks 7 and 8 are indicated by hatching.

The feature of this embodiment is that the first positioning marks 7a and 7b are formed at an interval from the wiring pattern 3. In this embodiment, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

Further, since the first positioning mark 7 is formed separately from the wiring pattern 3, the first and second positioning marks 7, 8 can be formed close to each other. Thereby, when the flexible cable 1 is inserted into the connector 5, it is easy to confirm the coincidence of the positioning marks 7, 8, and a reliable connection can be made.

It should be noted that the second positioning mark 8 may be formed at an interval from the wiring pattern of the circuit board 6 as a matter of course.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the first positioning mark of the flexible cable is formed on the flexible cable substrate, there is no need to process the reinforcing plate as in the prior art. It is possible to prevent the flexible cable from being damaged by peeling of the flexible cable. Also,
Since the first positioning mark is formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate, when the flexible cable is inserted into the connector in an inclined state, the deviation between the first positioning mark and the second positioning mark increases. . This makes it easier for the operator to recognize that the flexible cable is tilted, and prevents the flexible cable from being inserted in a tilted state. Further, since the first and second positioning marks are formed by the patterning method, the displacement of the position of the positioning mark is smaller than in the case where the positioning mark is formed by mechanical processing as in the related art. Thereby, the first
If the flexible cable and the connector are connected such that the positioning mark matches the second positioning mark, a stable connection state can be realized. That is, it is possible to prevent the flexible cable and the connector from being damaged by pushing the flexible cable into the connector more than necessary, and to prevent the occurrence of a failure due to a poor connection between the terminal portions of the flexible cable and the connector.

Further, since the first positioning mark is formed on the peripheral surface of the flexible substrate, it can be formed larger than the conventional case where it is formed on the reinforcing plate. Since it is formed on the surface of the substrate, it can be formed to have the same size as the first positioning mark. Therefore, the recognizability of the first and second positioning marks is improved, the workability when inserting the flexible cable into the connector is improved, and the quality of the connection state is also improved.

Further, since the first and second positioning marks are formed by a patterning method, the positioning marks are formed by changing the shape of a mask used when forming a wiring pattern on a flexible substrate or a circuit board. be able to. Thus, it is not necessary to add a new manufacturing process, and the flexible substrate and the circuit board can be manufactured at low cost.

Further, according to the present invention, since the positioning mark is formed by changing the shape of the wiring pattern, it is possible to save space on the flexible board and the circuit board.

Further, according to the present invention, since the positioning marks are formed separately from the wiring pattern, the first and second positioning marks can be formed close to each other. Thereby, when inserting the flexible cable into the connector, it is easy to confirm the coincidence of the positioning marks, and a reliable connection can be made.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a first conventional technique.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a second conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible cable 2 Flexible board 3 Wiring pattern 3a Rightmost wiring pattern 3b Leftmost wiring pattern 4 Reinforcement plate 5 Connector 6 Circuit board 7a, 7b First positioning mark 8a, 8b Second positioning mark

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H05K 1/14 H01R 23/68 E 302Z F-term (Reference) 5E021 FA05 FA11 FB02 FB08 FB14 FC31 FC38 KA02 5E023 AA04 AA13 AA16 BB01 BB06 BB22 BB23 HH01 HH08 HH19 5E338 AA12 BB72 DD12 EE26 EE31 EE43 5E344 AA01 AA15 AA22 BB02 BB04 CD18 DD08 DD09 DD13 DD14 EE16 EE21 EE23 5G435 AA16 AA17 BB12 EE33 KK

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flexible cable in which a wiring pattern is formed on a surface of a flexible substrate by a patterning method and a reinforcing plate is adhered to a tip side of the flexible substrate, and a circuit board on which a wiring pattern is formed by a patterning method. A connection structure for connecting the flexible cable to the connector in a position substantially parallel to the surface of the circuit board, wherein the flexible cable is formed on a peripheral surface of the flexible board by a patterning method. First
And the circuit board has
A flexible cable having a second positioning mark formed by a patterning method at a position corresponding to the first positioning mark when the flexible cable is connected to the connector on the surface thereof; Connection structure with connector. 2. The flexible cable according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second positioning marks is formed by changing a shape of a part of a wiring pattern. Connection structure. 3. The connection structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second positioning marks is formed at an interval from a wiring pattern.