JP2004039456A - Connection mechanism of electric component - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem wherein connection between a hard board and a flexible board by using a conventional connector results in cost increase including the extra length of of the flexible board for connection work, and the longer the flexible board becomes, the more it is affected by noise, and the more space for folding and storing it requires. <P>SOLUTION: This connection mechanism of an electric component is so structured that: two holes are bored at positions allowing both ends of a head part of a locking member of an FPC connector mounted on the hard board to be seen; the head part of the locking member is pushed in from a surface opposite to the mounting surface of the FPC connector through the holes by a jig; and respective electrodes mounted at a tip part of the inserted flexible board and contacts in a connector body are caught while bringing them into contact with each other to prevent the flexible board from getting out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connection mechanism between a hard board on which circuit components are mounted and a flexible board.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In general, as a substrate for mounting an electric component provided in an electronic device, a hard substrate called a normal PCB or the like and a flexible substrate formed to be freely bent by a resin film or the like are known.
As a conventional technique for electrically connecting a hard board and a flexible board, a connector, for example, an FPC connector is mounted on the hard board, an electrode is formed at a tip of the flexible board, and the end is connected to the FPC connector. The connection is made by moving the locking member and locking it. At this time, the flexible substrate is designed to be long enough to allow a connection operation by an operator, and after being fitted to the distal end portion, the flexible substrate is stored so as to be folded.
[0003]
For example, an example in which a flexible substrate 23 provided on a liquid crystal display (LCD) 22 is connected to a hard substrate 24 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the FPC connector 25 is mounted on the hard board 24. At the time of connection, the hard board 24 is opened, and the distal end of the flexible board 23 is inserted into the FPC connector 25 and locked, thereby making electrical connection. In such a connection method, the length of the flexible board 23 is equal to the length between the flexible board 23 and the FPC connector 25 and the length for performing the connection operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the hard substrate 24 is assembled to the fixing boss 26 provided on the housing 21 with the screw 27, the flexible substrate 23 is excessively folded and stored.
[0004]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, an elongated hole 28 through which the flexible substrate 23 penetrates is opened in the hard substrate 24, and the front end portion of the flexible substrate 23 is connected to the opposite side of the hard substrate 24 (at the time of mounting). There is also a method of pulling out the FPC connector 25 mounted on the outer surface of the hard board 24 by pulling out the FPC connector 25 on the outer surface. According to this connection method, the connection can be performed after the hard board 24 is assembled to the housing 21, and the connection work is facilitated.
[0005]
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), when the flexible board 23 cannot be extended, the end of the hard board 24 (connection side with the flexible board 23) is cut off and shortened. Then, there is a method of mounting and connecting the FPC connector 25 near the end. At the time of connection, the hard board 24 is opened, and the leading end of the flexible board 23 is inserted into the FPC connector 25 and locked. In such a connection method, since the distance from the end of the hard board 24 to the mounting position of the FPC connector 25 is short, even if the length of the flexible board 23 is short, connection to the hard board is possible. There is no need to bend and store an extra flexible board 23 when assembled to the board 21.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the connection between the hard board 24 and the flexible board 23 as shown in FIG. 7 described above, it is necessary to make the flexible board 23 longer than the distance between the connections in order to perform the connection operation. However, since the price of the flexible substrate 23 is proportional to the area, it leads to an increase in cost, and the longer the flexible substrate 23 is, the more affected it is by the influence of noise, and the more space it takes to store it.
[0007]
In addition, since the flexible substrate integrated with a standardized electrical component such as a display member (LCD) cannot be freely extended on the user side, order a nonstandard product from the manufacturer. , Greatly affecting the cost. Further, if the length of the flexible board cannot be increased, the mounting position of the FPC connector is limited, and the design affects the configuration of the circuit pattern and the mounting position of other circuit components. In particular, it is a major problem for devices in which reduction in size and weight is important such as portable terminal devices.
[0008]
Since the mounting method as shown in FIG. 7 is an assembling operation in a narrow work space, it is a troublesome and time-consuming operation. In the case where a long hole 28 is made in the hard board 24 as shown in FIG. 9 and the connector portion at the tip of the flexible board is pulled out to the opposite side of the hard board, it is necessary to carry out wiring avoiding the long hole on the hard board. For this reason, the wirable area is divided by the elongated holes to restrict wiring design, or the number of layers of the hard substrate is increased to eliminate the restriction, resulting in an increase in cost. Further, the physical strength of the substrate may be weakened, and it may not be possible to form such a long hole.
[0009]
Furthermore, when the end of the hard board 24 is cut off to shorten the length, and the connection with the flexible board 23 is facilitated, the length of the flexible board can be shortened, but the area of the hard board is reduced, and the mounting density is the same. The number of electrical components that can be mounted decreases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection mechanism of an electric component that enables a connector connection between a hard board and a flexible board in a housing at an arbitrary position on the hard board, and facilitates connection work.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a board on which a movable locking member is provided, and the movement of the locking member mounts a connector in a locked state in which the connected member is electrically connected while being pinched. The board has two holes respectively opened at positions where both ends of the head of the locking member can be seen, and the head of the locking member is inserted through these holes from the side opposite to the mounting surface of the connector. Provided is a connection mechanism of an electric component for moving both ends of the unit. In the electrical component connection mechanism, the locking member may be moved to a jig inserted from the opposite side of the mounting surface with the head of the locking member being addressed, and the connector may be locked. To The hole has a size in which a space for moving the locking member and a space for an insertion portion of the jig are combined.
[0011]
The connection mechanism of the electric component having the above-described configuration makes two holes at positions where both ends of the head of the locking member of the connector mounted on the hard board can be seen, and these holes are formed from the surface opposite to the connector mounting surface. A jig is inserted into the hole, the locking member is pushed in, the locking state is established, and each electrode of the flexible board and the contacts in the connector body are held in contact with each other to prevent the flexible board from coming off.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a connection mechanism between a hard board using a connector and a flexible board attached to a liquid crystal display device as an embodiment in which the connection mechanism for electric components in the present invention is applied to a portable terminal device. . Here, FIG. 1A shows a connection mechanism in a cross-sectional structure of the portable terminal device, and FIG. 1B shows a configuration in which a connection portion by a connector is viewed obliquely from above.
[0013]
In this portable terminal device, a liquid crystal display device (LCD) 2 is housed in a housing 1, a flexible substrate 3 provided on the LCD 2, and a hardware on which circuit components are mounted and a processing circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like are formed. There is a connection mechanism for connecting the substrate 5 with a connector.
[0014]
In this configuration, a known FPC connector 6 is mounted on the hard board 5 at a position based on the design. When the FPC connector 6 is fitted to the distal end of the flexible substrate 3, the contacts provided inside the connector are electrically connected to a plurality of electrodes formed at the distal end, and the distal end is It is pinched so that it does not escape. As for the mounting position of the FPC connector 6, as shown in FIG. 1A, it is desirable that the flexible board 3 has a certain margin in the fitted state and does not allow extra slack. In this case, the length of the flexible substrate 3 may be adjusted at the manufacturing stage according to the design. Alternatively, when a commercially available or standardized electric component is used for the mobile terminal device, and a flexible substrate attached to them is used, if the length of the flexible substrate is plural and aligned, it can be appropriately selected. If it is the same or the same connector mounting position on the same hard board, a type having a shorter length than the conventional type is selected.
The hard substrate 5 is fixed to a fixing boss 7 provided on the housing 1 by screws 8, and the LCD 2 is fitted at a predetermined position by a positioning rib 9 provided on the housing 1 to support the LCD 2. It is fixed by a member.
[0015]
Here, the FPC connector 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, the FPC connector 6 has a plurality of mounting contacts (terminals) 14 connected to a circuit pattern (not shown) when mounted on the hard board 5 on the back side of the connector main body 12. Further, mounting brackets 15 for fixing to the hard substrate are provided on both side surfaces, respectively. Also, when locked, it can be moved back and forth, and the electrodes provided on the front end of the flexible substrate 3 inserted from the front side and the contacts (not shown) in the connector body are held while being in contact with each other, and the flexible substrate A lock member 13 is provided to prevent the member 3 from coming off. The locking member 13 is provided with two claws 13 b extending from the head 13 a to both sides of the FPC connector 6 so as to be engaged with a projection 16 provided on the connector main body 12. At both ends of the head 13a, arms 13c for moving (pushing or pulling out) the locking member 13 with a jig such as tweezers are provided, respectively.
[0016]
Here, FIG. 5 shows a locked state of the FPC connector 6 sandwiching the flexible board 3, and FIG. Is shown. When the arm 13c is pushed in the direction A, the arm 13c is locked.
[0017]
Next, the locked state of the FPC connector 6 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1B, in the hard board 5 on which the FPC connector 6 is mounted, two connection working holes 4 for opening the arm 13c of the locking member 13 of the FPC connector 6 are opened. I do. 2 and 3 show a state in which the hard substrate 5 is attached to the housing 1 and viewed from the front side, respectively. FIG. 2 shows an unlocked state of the FPC connector 6, and FIG. 3 shows a locked state of the FPC connector 6. ing.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, these connection work holes 4 have an opening having a size corresponding to a space where the arm portion 13c moves and a space for inserting a jig for moving the arm portion 13c when viewed from the front side. Have been.
[0019]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the hard substrate 5 is attached to the housing 1, and as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip of a jig 11 such as tweezers is inserted into each connection work hole 4 and directed to the arm portions 13 c provided at both ends of the head, respectively, and an arrow A shown in FIG. To push the locking member 13 into the connector main body 12 of the FPC connector 6 to bring it into a locked state as shown in FIG.
[0020]
According to the embodiment described above, when connecting the flexible substrate to the hard substrate, an extra length for attaching the flexible substrate, which is necessary, becomes unnecessary, and the length can be reduced. Therefore, since it is not necessary to store the flexible substrate in a folded state, a storage space for the flexible substrate is not required. Also, by minimizing the length of the flexible substrate, for a flexible substrate that is already attached, such as an LCD, a product of a short flexible substrate, that is, a low-cost product can be selected. Product cost can be reduced.
[0021]
In addition, since the flexible substrate can be inserted and assembled from the front side of the hard substrate, the assembling work is facilitated and the working time can be reduced. Furthermore, the FPC connector can be arranged at an arbitrary position on the hard board within a range where the flexible board can reach, without taking into account the length of the flexible board conventionally required for assembly.
[0022]
Also, since the connection work holes 4 opened at two locations can be implemented with a relatively small one, they are smaller than a long hole for routing a flexible substrate, and there is no need to detour a wiring pattern. Reduction in mounting area can be suppressed.
[0023]
In the above-described embodiment, the flexible substrate attached to the LCD is taken as an example of the electric member to be mounted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can be applied to a flexible substrate attached to another electric member including a standardized product. Needless to say.
[0024]
Although the above embodiments have been described, the present specification also includes the following inventions.
[0025]
(1) A hole is formed at a position where both ends of the locking member of the FPC connector mounted on the board can be seen, and the locking member is operated through the hole from the side opposite to the surface on which the FPC connector is mounted. Connection mechanism for electrical components.
[0026]
(2) The connection mechanism for an electric component according to (1), wherein the hole described in (1) is constituted by two holes each independently opened at positions where both ends of the locking member of the FPC connector can be seen.
[0027]
(3) The connection mechanism for an electric component, wherein the size of the hole described in the above (1) is such that the end face of the FPC can be seen from one end thereof and the lock member can be operated.
[0028]
(4) A connection mechanism for an electric component, wherein the two holes described in the above (1) and (2) have a maximum distance connecting their ends not exceeding the width of the FPC connector.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connection mechanism of an electric component in which a connector connection between a hard board and a flexible board in a housing can be made at an arbitrary position on the hard board and a connection operation is easy. be able to.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment in which a connection mechanism for electric components according to the present invention is applied to a portable terminal device.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an unlocked state of the FPC connector as viewed from the front side with the hard substrate according to the embodiment attached to the housing.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a locked state of the FPC connector as viewed from the front side with the hard substrate according to the embodiment attached to the housing.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation of attaching the hard board to the housing and locking the FPC connector as viewed from the front side in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an external view of the locked FPC connector used in the embodiment as viewed from above.
FIG. 6 is an external view of the unlocked FPC connector used in the embodiment as viewed from above.
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a method of connecting a flexible substrate provided on a liquid crystal display device mounted on a portable terminal device according to a conventional technique to a hard substrate.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a flexible substrate and a hard substrate provided in a liquid crystal display device mounted on a portable terminal device according to the related art are attached to a housing.
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a connection method using a long hole between a flexible substrate and a hard substrate provided in a liquid crystal display device mounted on a portable terminal device according to the related art.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of connecting a flexible substrate provided on a liquid crystal display device mounted on a portable terminal device according to a conventional technique and a shortened hard substrate.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... housing 2 ... liquid crystal display (LCD)
3 Flexible board 4 Connection hole 5 Hard board 6 FPC connector 7 Fixing boss 8 Screw 9 Positioning rib 11 Jig 12 Connector body 13 Locking member 13a Head 13b Claw part 13c Arm part 14 Mounting contact (terminal)
15 Mounting bracket 16 Projection

Claims (4)

A movable locking member, and a board mounted with a connector in a locked state for electrically connecting while holding the connected member by moving the locking member;
The board has two holes opened at positions where both ends of the head of the locking member can be seen, and the head of the locking member is inserted through these holes from the side opposite to the mounting surface of the connector. A connection mechanism for electrical parts, characterized by moving both ends. In the connection mechanism of the electric component,
2. The locking member according to claim 1, wherein a head of the locking member is moved to a jig inserted from a side opposite to the mounting surface so as to lock the connector. 3. A connection mechanism for an electrical component according to claim 1. In the connection mechanism of the electric component,
The electrical component connection mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the hole has a size in which a space for moving the locking member and a space for an insertion portion of the jig are combined. In the connection mechanism of the electric component,
The connection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a distance between outer ends of the two holes opened in the board does not exceed a width of the connector.

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