JPH11176538A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connector capable of connecting printed circuit substrates with each other via a flat soft cable without requiring soldering by pressing a metal bump formed at the flat soft cable to a conductive land on a printed circuit board by means of level turning operation via a pressing plate. SOLUTION: After an electric connector 1 is mounted on a printed circuit board 2, a first lever 12 is turned downward to make the board parallel to a top end of a side plate 4b, so that an end rim 12c of a curved part 12b is rolled over the top of a arc-shaped return part 15 of a first press plate 10. Next, a connection end 7 of the other printed circuit board 3 is inserted into a cover 4 through a second reception part 8. Further, a second lever 13 is turned downward so that an end rim 13c of a curved part 13b is rolled over the top of an arc-shaped return part 18 of the second press plate 11. By such operation of the second lever 13, each enters an electrically conducting state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrical connector for connecting printed circuit boards, and more particularly, to an electrical connector for connecting printed circuit boards to each other.
A flat flexible cable (including those generally called FPC, FFC, etc.) is connected to a printed circuit board by contacting a metal bump provided at an end with a conductive land formed on the printed circuit board side. To an electrical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of electrical connectors, such as a mother board and a daughter board, for connecting printed circuit boards to each other have been known. These are generally electrical connectors having a structure in which a large number of metal terminals are mounted on an insulating housing. The electrical connector is mounted on one printed circuit board such as a motherboard, and a solder tail of the metal terminals is mounted on the printed circuit board. Are soldered to the conductive traces. By inserting the edge of the other printed circuit board such as a daughter board into such an electrical connector, the conductive part formed on the surface of the other printed circuit board and the engaging part of the metal terminal are engaged. Thus, one and the other printed circuit boards are connected to each other.

[0003]

In order to use the above-mentioned electric connector, soldering equipment and solder mounting technology are required, and it is not easy to replace the once-mounted electric connector if it is damaged. There were many problems. Further, as is well known, the size and height of the electrical connector itself have been reduced, and there has been a problem that the strength of the insulating housing becomes weaker as the size and height of the electrical connector are reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for connecting printed circuit boards which does not require soldering and which can secure necessary strength. It is an object.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned object, and is intended to connect printed circuit boards to each other via a flat flexible cable. An electrical connector in which bumps are pressed against conductive lands formed on a printed circuit board.

That is, an electric connector according to the present invention is an electric connector for connecting printed circuit boards to each other, the first receiving section for receiving a connection end of one printed circuit board, and the other printed circuit board. A cover provided with a second receiving portion for receiving a connection end of the board, and a flat flexible cable installed inside the cover, the connection between one printed circuit board and the other printed circuit board; At the end, a metal bump opposing each formed conductive land in a one-to-one correspondence with each other is provided on the surface, and the metal bumps are connected to each other in the cable. 1 and 2 provided inside the receiving portion 2 along the back surface of the flat flexible cable.
And a first and second lever for pressing the flat flexible cable toward the one and the other printed circuit boards via the first and second pressing plates. It is a characteristic electrical connector.

A backup member is provided on a bottom plate of a cover having a bottom plate and side plates rising from both side edges of the bottom plate, and a first and a second member are provided on an inner upper portion of the cover so as to face the backup material. Pressing plates are rotatably installed between the side plates, respectively, and first and second levers for urging the first and second pressing plates toward the backup material side are respectively provided with A flat flexible cable that is rotatably installed between side plates and passes between connection ends of a printed circuit board received on the backup material through first and second receiving portions formed at both ends of a cover. Can be pressed to the printed circuit board side via the first and second pressing plates by operating the first and second levers, and the metal bumps formed on the surface of the flat flexible cable are printed. Is brought into contact with the substrate of the connection end portion formed conductive lands, is an electrical connector, wherein the printed circuit board each other via a flat flexible cable are to be connected.

[0008]

According to the electric connector of the present invention, the printed circuit boards can be connected to each other via the flat flexible cable.
Conventional metal terminals need not be soldered. Also, the cover can be made of metal, so
The required strength can be easily ensured even if the height is reduced. Further, connection and disconnection between the printed circuit boards can be easily performed by operating the lever.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The electrical connector 1 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 has one printed circuit board 2 which is a motherboard.
And the other printed circuit board 3 which is a daughter board. This electrical connector 1
Is provided with a metal cover 4 composed of a bottom plate 4a and side plates 4b rising substantially vertically from both side edges of the bottom plate 4a, and one end for receiving the connection end 5 of one printed circuit board 2 is provided. 1 is a receiving portion 6, and the other end is a second receiving portion 8 for receiving the connection end 7 of the other printed circuit board 3.

Inside the cover 4, a backup material 9 made of an insulating material such as a thermoplastic resin plate is installed on the bottom plate 4a, and is received through the first and second receiving portions 6, 8. The printed circuit boards 2 and 3 can be backed up. In addition, this backup material 9
The first pressing plate 10 formed by molding a metal plate inside the first receiving portion 6 so as to face the upper side of the
A second pressing plate 11 also formed by molding a metal plate is provided inside the receiving portion 8 of the first member, and a first lever 12 formed by molding a metal plate above each of the pressing plates 10 and 11. And a second lever 13 are provided.

The first pressing plate 10 includes a flat plate 1
A curved portion 10b is provided diagonally downward at one end of the flat plate portion 10a, and projections 14 are formed on both sides of the curved portion 10b. It is molded into a certain shape. A circular hole 16 formed near the first receiving portion 6 of the side plate 4b constituting the cover 4
The pressing plate 10 is rotatable about the projection 14 between the side plates 4b by engaging the projection 14 of the bending portion 10b with the projection 14. The same applies to the second pressing plate 11, and a curved portion 11b is provided at one end of the flat plate portion 11a so as to extend diagonally upward.
A projection 17 is formed on both sides of the curved portion 11b, and an arc-shaped folded portion 18 is formed continuously on the other end of the flat plate portion 11a. A round hole 19 formed near the second receiving portion 8 of the side plate 4b forming the cover 4
The protrusion 17 of the curved portion 11b is engaged with the push plate 11 so that the pressing plate 11 is also rotatable about the protrusion 17 between the side plates 4b.

First lever 12 and second lever 13
Are curved portions 1 at one ends of the flat plate portions 12a and 13a, respectively.
2b and 13b are formed in a shape connected diagonally downward, and projections 20 and 21 are provided on both sides of the curved portions 12b and 13b. The respective projections 20 and 21 are engaged with round holes 22 and 23 formed near the center of the side plate 4b, so that the projections 20 and 21 can rotate about the projections 20 and 21 between the side plates 4b. Also,
The edge 12c of the curved portion 12b of the first lever 12 is configured to face the arc-shaped folded portion 15 of the first pressing plate 10, and the first lever 12 is substantially parallel to the upper edge of the side plate 4b of the cover 4. In this case, the edge 12c rides on the top of the arc-shaped folded portion 15. Similarly, the second lever 13 is configured such that the edge 13c of the curved portion 13b is opposed to the arc-shaped folded portion 18 of the second pressing plate 11, and the second lever 13 is substantially parallel to the upper edge of the side plate 4b. In this case, the edge 13c rides on the top of the arc-shaped folded portion 18.

The flat plate portions 10a, 11a of the first pressing plate 10 and the second pressing plate 11 are arranged adjacent to each other in a state of being substantially parallel to and facing the bottom plate 4a of the cover 4. For the parts 10a and 11a, FIG.
As shown in (1), the elastic sheets 24 are respectively attached. Then, the first pressing plate 10 extends from the first pressing plate 10 to the second pressing plate 11 through the elastic sheet 24.
A flat flexible cable 25 is attached. Each elastic sheet 24 is in contact with the back surface of the flat flexible cable 25. The flat flexible cable 25 is, as shown in FIGS.
A plurality of metal bumps 26 are provided in a predetermined pattern on one side and the other side of the front surface, respectively.
6 are electrically connected to each other via a conductive portion (not shown) formed in a multilayer structure in the cable. The elastic sheet 24 uses a silicon sheet in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the elastic sheet 24 is separated by cuts 27 corresponding to the metal bumps 26 of the flat flexible cable 25. is there. The cut 27 is formed at a depth of about half the thickness of the elastic sheet 24.

The installation pattern of each of the metal bumps 26 provided on the flat flexible cable 25 is determined by the connection end 5, which is received by the first and second receiving portions 6, 8 of the cover 4.
7 are electrically opposed to the conductive lands 28 and 29 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Can be formed.

In the electrical connector 1 of the above embodiment, a connection end 5 is formed by a slit 30 and a cutout 31 on a side edge of one printed circuit board 2 as a motherboard as shown in FIG. The part 5 is inserted into the cover 4 through the first receiving part 6 formed on the cover 4 and is mounted on the printed circuit board 2 for use. At the time of mounting, the first lever 12 is pivoted upward so that the connection end 5 can be inserted, and the first pressing plate 10 can freely rotate around the projection 14 in a free state. And keep it. In the embodiment, the cover 4 and the printed circuit board 2 are configured such that a fixing piece 32 formed by cutting and raising a part of the side plate 4a of the cover 4 is overlaid on the printed circuit board 2 and can be fixed by fixing means such as screws. . The cover 4 may be further provided with a boss or nail for positioning.

After the electrical connector 1 is mounted on the printed circuit board 2, the first lever 12 is turned downward to
b in a state substantially parallel to the upper edge of the curved portion 12b.
c so as to ride on the top of the arcuate folded portion 15 of the first pressing plate 10. By the turning operation of the first lever 12, the first pressing plate 10 is connected to the connection end 5.
To be biased toward. First lever 12
By this operation, one side of the flat flexible cable 25 is pressed against the connection end 5, and the metal bumps 26 formed on the flat flexible cable 25 are in one-to-one correspondence with the conductive lands 28 provided on the connection end 5. They come into contact with each other in a relation, and each of them is in an electrically conductive state.

Next, the connection end 7 of the other printed circuit board 3 as a daughter board is inserted into the cover 4 through the second receiving portion 8. At this time, the second lever 13 is turned upward, and the second pressing plate 11
In a free state where it can freely rotate around the.
Although not specifically shown, a guide may be provided on the cover 4 to guide the insertion of the connection end 7, or a stopper for regulating the insertion position may be provided. After the insertion of the connection end 7, the second lever 13 is pivoted downward so as to be substantially parallel to the upper edge of the side plate 4 b, and the end 13 c of the curved portion 13 b is turned into an arc-shaped folded portion of the second press plate 11 1
Try to get to the top of 8. This second lever 1
By the turning operation of 3, the second pressing plate 11 is urged to turn toward the connection end 7. By such operation of the second lever 13, the flat flexible cable 25
The other side is pressed against the connection end 7, and the metal bump 26 formed on the flat flexible cable 25 abuts on the conductive land 29 provided on the connection end 7 in a one-to-one relationship, and each is electrically connected. It becomes a conductive state.

By the above operation, one printed circuit board 2 and the other printed circuit board 3 can be connected to each other via the flat flexible cable 25 provided on the electrical connector 1. In connecting the printed circuit boards 2 and 3 to each other, a soldering process such as soldering of a solder tail of a conventional metal terminal can be completely eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing equipment for mounting the electrical connector, and
The time for the mounting process can be reduced, which can greatly contribute to cost reduction. In addition, since there is no soldering step, the manufacturing environment can be made clean, and there can be no equipment such as cleaning equipment which is essential for soldering.

The other printed circuit board 3 can be repeatedly attached and detached arbitrarily by rotating the second lever 13. Further, the electric connector 1 mounted on one printed circuit board 2 can be detached by rotating the first lever 12 and can be replaced with a new electric connector 1. Both operations can be performed only by rotating the first and second levers 12 and 13, so that the mounting and dismounting of the printed circuit board 3 is repeated or replaced, and further, the electrical connector 1 is repaired or replaced. Can be easily performed in a very short time.

Also, as in the embodiment, the cover 4, the first,
Second pressing plates 10 and 11, first and second levers 1
Since the metal 2 and 13 can be made of metal, it is easy to secure mechanical strength, and it is possible to reduce the size and height of the entire electrical connector 1 without causing a shortage of strength. .

The elastic sheets 24 respectively attached to the first and second pressing plates 10 and 11 are separated by cuts 27 corresponding to the metal bumps 26 of the flat flexible cable 25 as in the embodiment. Then, each metal bump 26
Are individually and elastically contacted with the conductive lands 28 and 29 to warp the printed circuit boards 2 and 3 and the conductive lands 28 and 29.
This is advantageous in that a change in the height of the metal bumps 29 can be absorbed and the electrical conduction between the metal bumps 26 and the conductive lands 28 and 29 can be kept good. Further, by providing a backup material 9 made of an insulating material on the bottom plate 4a of the cover 4 as in the embodiment, it is possible to short-circuit the conductive traces and the like on the back side of the printed circuit boards 2, 3 with the metal bottom plate 4a. Not only can be prevented, but also the first and second pressing plates 10, 11
The flexible printed circuit boards 2 and 3 and the flat flexible cable 25 can be elastically held in cooperation with the elastic sheet 24 of
This is advantageous in that external vibrations and shocks can be absorbed and the reliability of the electrical connection can be maintained.

[0023]

As described above, according to the electrical connector of the present invention, the metal bump formed on the flat flexible cable is connected to the conductive land on the printed circuit board via the pressing plate by rotating the lever. Because of the pressing structure, the printed circuit boards can be connected to each other via the flat flexible cable, and an electrical connector that does not require soldering can be provided. Further, since the structure including most of the members including the cover can be made of a material having high mechanical strength such as metal, the size and the height can be reduced. Furthermore, the connection of the printed circuit board is
Since the operation can be performed by rotating the lever, the daughter board can be easily attached and detached or replaced, and the electric connector itself can be easily attached and detached and exchanged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the electric connector of the embodiment is mounted on a motherboard.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a daughter board is connected to an electric connector of the embodiment mounted on a motherboard.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the electrical connector of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a pressing plate and a flat flexible cable of the electrical connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a flat flexible cable and an elastic sheet of the electrical connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a flat flexible cable of the electrical connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a motherboard which is one printed circuit board.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a daughter board which is the other printed circuit board.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric connector 2, 3 Printed circuit board 4 Cover 4a Cover bottom plate 4b Cover side plate 5, 7 Connection end of printed circuit board 6 First receiving part 8 Second receiving part 9 Backup material 10 First pressing plate 11 Second pressing plate 10a, 11a Flat plate portion 10b, 11b Curved portion 12 First lever 13 Second lever 12a, 13a Flat plate portion 12b, 13b Curved portion 12c, 13c Edge 14, 17, Projection 15, 18 Arc folded Part 16, 19 Round hole 20, 21 Projection 22, 23 Round hole 24 Elastic sheet 25 Flat flexible cable 26 Metal bump 27 Notch 28, 29 Conductive land 30 Slit 31 Notch 32 Fixing piece

Claims (5)

[Claims] An electrical connector for connecting printed circuit boards to each other, a first receiving section for receiving a connection end of one of the printed circuit boards, and an other printed circuit board. A cover 4 provided with a second receiving portion 8 for receiving the connection end 7 of the circuit board 3, a flat flexible cable 25 installed inside the cover 4
Metal bumps 26 are provided on the surfaces of the connection ends 5 and 7 of the one printed circuit board 2 and the other printed circuit board 3 so as to face the conductive lands 28 and 29 formed one by one. A flat flexible cable 25 in which metal bumps 26 are electrically connected to each other in the cable; and inside the first and second receiving portions 6 and 8 of the cover 4, along the back surface of the flat flexible cable 25. And the flat flexible cable 25 to the one and the other printed circuit boards 2 and 3 via the first and second pressing plates 10 and 11, First and second levers 1 for pressing toward
An electrical connector, comprising: 2. A backing material for backing up each of the printed circuit boards 2, 3 received through the first and second receiving portions 6, 8 in the cover 4. Electrical connector. 3. The electric connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressing plates and have an elastic sheet provided on a surface in contact with the flat flexible cable. 4. A back-up material 9 is provided on a bottom plate 4a of a cover 4 having a bottom plate 4a and side plates 4b rising from both side edges of the bottom plate 4a. The first and second pressing plates 10 and 11 are rotatably installed between the side plates 4b, respectively.
The first is to urge the rotating member 11 toward the backup material 9 side.
Second levers 12 and 13 are rotatably installed between the side plates 4b, respectively, and are provided on the backup material 9 through first and second receiving portions 6 and 8 formed at both ends of the cover 4. The flat flexible cable 25 passed between the connection ends 5 and 7 of the received printed circuit boards 2 and 3 is connected to the first and second pressing plates 10 and 11 by operating the first and second levers 12 and 13. The metal bumps 26 formed on the surface of the flat flexible cable 25 are pressed against the printed circuit boards 2 and 3 through the printed circuit boards 2 and 3.
3, conductive lands 28, 29 formed at the connection ends 5, 7
An electrical connector characterized in that the printed circuit boards (2, 3) are connected to each other via a flat flexible cable (25). 5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the pressing plates have an elastic sheet provided on a surface facing the flat flexible cable.