TWM464868U - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector suitable for being applied to a flexible printed circuit (FPC) board. The FPC board includes a flexible substrate. The connector includes a plurality of conductive contacts, an adhesive layer and an insulation layer. Each of the conductive contacts includes an elastic cantilever and a fixed cantilever. Each fixed cantilever is connected to the corresponding elastic cantilever and disposed on the flexible substrate to be electrically connected to the FPC board. Each elastic cantilever is extended along a direction away from the flexible substrate. The adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible substrate and the conductive contacts. The insulation layer covers the conductive contacts and has a plurality of openings. The openings respectively expose the elastic cantilevers.

Description

Connector

The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector suitable for a flexible circuit board.

In response to the demand for lightness, thinness and shortness of modern electronic products, various electronic components are not actively moving toward miniaturization. As the functions of electronic products become more and more powerful, and the size of electronic products is getting smaller and smaller, various portable electronic products have flourished and replaced large-scale electronic products, and gradually become the mainstream in the market, such as notebook computers ( Notebook), Cell Phone, and tablet PC. In order to meet the requirements of miniaturization, all kinds of portable electronic products must meet the requirements of small size and light weight, in addition to the internal components, usually in order to make the electronic product smaller and more convenient when carried. Carrying, the electronic product is designed as two units, and the two units are superposed on each other. It is worth noting that the two units are usually connected by a flexible, bendable flexible circuit board to achieve electrical conduction.

The above flexible circuit board generally has a plurality of contacts at one end thereof for connection to a connector, wherein the connector has a plurality of contact pins inside. One end is plugged into the circuit board and electrically connected to another connector on the circuit board. However, it is conventional that the connectors disposed on the flexible circuit board are mostly fixed in advance and then fixed on the contacts of the flexible circuit board through surface mounting technology (SMT), which usually has a multi-layer structure. While having a considerable thickness, and most of such connectors have a substrate, the thickness of the connector is often limited by the thickness of the substrate and cannot meet the current demand for thinning. In addition, the connector on the flexible circuit board must be mated with the other connector on the circuit board (for example, a plug and a socket), thereby reducing the design flexibility of the electronic product, and the assembly thereof is complicated. Invisibly increases the material cost and assembly cost of electronic products.

The novel creation provides a connector that is thinner and less expensive.

The connector created by the present invention is suitable for use on a flexible circuit board. The flexible circuit board includes a flexible substrate. The connector includes a plurality of terminals, an adhesive layer, and an insulating layer. Each terminal includes a resilient cantilever and a fixed end. Each fixed end is connected to a corresponding elastic cantilever and is disposed on the flexible substrate to be electrically connected to the flexible circuit board. Each of the elastic cantilevers extends away from the flexible substrate. The adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible substrate and the terminal. An insulating layer covers the terminal and has a plurality of openings. The openings respectively expose the elastic cantilever.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connector further includes a reinforcing material. The flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The terminal, the adhesive layer and the insulating layer are disposed on the first surface, and the reinforcing material is correspondingly provided Placed on the second surface.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connector is configured to lock the connector and the flexible circuit board to an electronic component through the plurality of fasteners, and to electrically connect the electronic component through the elastic cantilever. .

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the connector and the flexible circuit board are locked to the electronic component, the flexible circuit board is located between the electronic component and the reinforcing material, and the elastic cantilever is in contact with the electronic component.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible circuit board has a thickness of between 0.15 millimeters (mm) and 0.3 millimeters (mm).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the flexible circuit board and the connector described above is between 0.3 millimeters (mm) and 0.5 millimeters (mm).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the connector further includes a conductive paste disposed between the flexible substrate and the terminal.

Based on the above, the connector of the present invention presses the terminal with the elastic cantilever to the flexible circuit board, which reduces the number of layers of the connector, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the flexible circuit board and the connector, so that it conforms to the current The need for thinning electronic products. Moreover, since the novel creation reduces the number of layers of the connector, thereby reducing the number of interfaces through which the current signal needs to pass, the integrity of the high-frequency signal transmission (Signal integratity) can be improved. In addition, the connector created by the present invention does not need to be provided with a corresponding connector on the flexible circuit board and its external electronic components, which saves complicated processes such as plating vias and solder ball bonding, and the assembly cost and production cost can also be reduced. .

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and understood from the following description.

100‧‧‧Connector

110‧‧‧terminal

110a‧‧‧metal foil

112‧‧‧Flexible cantilever

112a‧‧‧Free end

114‧‧‧Fixed end

120‧‧‧Adhesive layer

130‧‧‧Insulation

132‧‧‧ openings

140‧‧‧ reinforcing materials

150‧‧‧Locker

200‧‧‧Soft circuit board

210‧‧‧Soft substrate

212‧‧‧ first surface

214‧‧‧ second surface

222‧‧‧Contacts

300‧‧‧Electronic components, circuit boards

D ₁ ‧‧‧Soft board thickness

D ₂ ‧ ‧ thickness sum

D3‧‧‧ spacing

H1‧‧‧ Height

1 is a schematic diagram of a connector disposed on a flexible circuit board in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the connector of FIG. 1.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1.

4 is a top plan view of a flexible circuit board in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

5A-5E are schematic diagrams showing a manufacturing process of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the assembly of a reinforcing material of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of a connector disposed on a flexible circuit board in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the connector of FIG. 1. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the connector 100 of the embodiment is adapted to be disposed on a flexible circuit board 200 as shown in FIG. 1 . on. The flexible circuit board 200 includes a flexible substrate 210. The connector 100 includes a plurality of terminals 110, an adhesive layer 120, and an insulating layer 130. Each terminal 110 includes a resilient cantilever 112 and a fixed end 114. Each of the fixed ends 114 is connected to the corresponding elastic cantilever 112 and disposed on the flexible substrate 210 to be electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 200. Each of the elastic cantilevers 112 extends away from the flexible substrate 210. In this embodiment, the elastic cantilever 112 and the fixed end 114 are integrally formed, and the material of the terminal 110 includes copper, that is, the terminal 110 is an integrally formed patterned copper foil layer, and the pitch D3 of the terminal 110 is approximately Between 1 mm (mm) and 2 mm (mm). The adhesive layer 120 is disposed between the flexible substrate 210 and the terminal 110. The insulating layer 130 covers the terminal 110 and has a plurality of openings 132. The openings 132 respectively expose the resilient cantilever 112.

As shown in FIG. 3, the resilient cantilever 112 includes a free end 112a that protrudes from the surface of the insulating layer 130. In the present embodiment, the height H1 of the free end 112a of the elastic cantilever 112 to the surface of the insulating layer 130 is about 0.2 millimeters (mm). In addition, the connector 100 further includes a conductive paste (not shown) disposed on the electrical connection end 220 and between the electrical connection end 220 and the terminal 110. In this embodiment, the conductive paste can be, for example, a copper paste, a silver paste, a solder paste, a carbon paste, a solder ball, a nano silver or another low-resistance conductive polymer material, and is formed in an electrical connection by printing. On end 220.

In this embodiment, the two connectors 100 can be respectively disposed on opposite ends of the flexible circuit board 200. As such, the two connectors 100 can be respectively connected to, for example, two external electronic components that are superposed on each other to electrically connect the two external electronic components that are superposed on each other by the flexibility of the flexible circuit board 200. The two external electronics mentioned above The components can be, for example, a circuit board and a liquid crystal display panel for transmitting video signals from the circuit board to the liquid crystal display panel through the two connectors 100 of the flexible circuit board 200 to enable the liquid crystal display panel to perform the display function. Of course, this embodiment is for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention does not limit the number of connectors 100, the manner in which they are connected to electronic components, and the types of electronic components to which they are connected.

4 is a top plan view of a flexible circuit board in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4 , in the embodiment, the flexible circuit board 200 can have two connecting portions 220 , 230 electrically connected to each other, respectively, at opposite ends of the flexible substrate 210 . Two connectors 100 may be disposed on the connecting portions 220, 230, respectively. The connecting portions 220, 230 each have a plurality of contacts 222. For example, the contacts 222 and the two connecting portions 220 and 230 can be electrically connected by a transmission wire as shown in FIG. 4, and the contacts 222 are electrically connected to the terminal 110 shown in FIG. Of course, the present invention is not intended to limit the number of connectors 100, the manner in which they are connected to electronic components, or the types of electronic components. The flexible circuit board 200 can be flexibly disposed as shown in FIG. 1 to electrically connect the two external electronic components that are overlapped with each other, and the flexible circuit board 200 can also be bent without being bent, but is flat as shown in FIG. Straight set to electrically connect to two external electronic components in the same plane.

In this configuration, the flexible circuit board 200 can be electrically connected to the external component through the elastic cantilever 112 of the terminal 110. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the thickness D _{1 of the} flexible circuit board 200 is between about 0.15 mm (mm) and 0.3 mm (mm), and the connector 100 of the present embodiment is pressed only by the adhesive layer 120 thereof. On the flexible circuit board 200, the number of layers is small. Therefore, the total thickness D ₂ of the flexible circuit board 200 and the connector 100 of the present embodiment is only about 0.3 mm (mm) to 0.5 mm (mm). In the meantime, it can meet the current demand for thinning electronic products.

5A-5E are schematic diagrams showing a manufacturing process of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The above-described method of fabricating the connector 100 can include, for example, the following steps. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a flexible circuit board 200 is provided which includes a flexible substrate 210, and the flexible substrate 210 has a plurality of contacts 222 as shown in FIG. 5A. Next, referring to FIG. 5B, an adhesive layer 120 is formed on the flexible substrate 210. In this embodiment, a conductive paste can be formed on the flexible substrate by using a steel plate printing, screen printing or other suitable printing method. 210 on.

5B and FIG. 5C, a metal foil 110a is provided, which includes a plurality of elastic cantilevers 112 and a plurality of fixed ends 114. The fixed ends 114 are respectively connected to the corresponding elastic cantilevers 112, and the elastic cantilevers 112 are as shown in FIG. They extend away from the fixed end 114, respectively. Next, the above-described metal foil 110a is pressed against the flexible substrate 210 as shown in FIG. 5B so that the adhesive layer 120 and the conductive paste are positioned between the flexible substrate 210 and the metal foil 110a. At this time, the fixed ends 114 are respectively connected to the contacts 222 on the flexible substrate 210 as shown in FIG. 5B to be electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 200, and the elastic cantilevers 112 respectively extend away from the flexible substrate 210.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, portions other than the elastic cantilever 112 and the fixed end 114 of the metal foil 110a as shown in FIG. 5C are removed to form a plurality of terminals 110 which are independent of each other. As such, the terminal 110 includes the above-described elastic cantilever 112 and the fixed end 114. In the present embodiment, the method of removing portions of the metal foil 110a other than the elastic cantilever 112 and the fixed end 114 includes etching. In addition, in this embodiment Further, a metal layer, such as gold, silver or tin, may be selectively plated at the free end of each elastic cantilever 112 (for example, the free end 112a shown in FIG. 3) to enhance the free end 112a and the external component. The quality of the contact interface between them prevents the problem of poor contact between the free end 112a and the external component.

Referring to FIG. 5E, an insulating layer 130 is disposed on the terminal 110. The insulating layer 130 has a plurality of openings 132 to respectively expose the elastic cantilever 112. Thus, the fabrication of the connector 100 on the flexible circuit board (for example, the flexible circuit board 200 shown in FIG. 5A) is substantially completed, and the flexible circuit board can expose the elastic cantilever 112 and the external components through the insulating layer 130. Sexual connection.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the assembly of a reinforcing material of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flexible circuit board 200 is electrically connected to an electronic component 300 through the connector 100. In the embodiment, the electronic component 300 is, for example, a circuit board 300. In order to ensure the connection stability between the connector 100 and the electronic component 300, in the embodiment, the connector 100 further includes a reinforcing material 140 for enhancing the structural strength of the flexible circuit board 200. The flexible substrate 210 of the flexible circuit board 200 has a first surface 212 and a second surface 214 opposite the first surface 212. The terminal 110, the adhesive layer 120 and the insulating layer 130 are disposed on the first surface 212, and the reinforcing material 140 is disposed on the second surface 214. The reinforcing material 140 is used to lock the connector 100 and the flexible circuit board 200 to the circuit board 300 through the plurality of fasteners 150 through the reinforcing material 140. When the connector 100 and the flexible circuit board 200 are locked on the circuit board 300, the flexible circuit board 200 is located between the circuit board 300 and the reinforcing material 140, and the elastic cantilever of the connector 100 is in contact with the circuit board 300, so that the flexible circuit board 200 Through the elastic cantilever Electrical connection is made to circuit board 300.

In summary, the connector of the present invention presses the terminal with the elastic cantilever to the flexible circuit board, which reduces the number of layers of the connector, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the flexible circuit board and the connector, thereby making it In line with the current needs of thinning electronic products. Moreover, since the novel creation reduces the number of layers of the connector, thereby reducing the number of interfaces through which the current signal needs to pass, the integrity of the high-frequency signal transmission (Signal integratity) can be improved. In addition, the connector created by the present invention does not need to be provided with a corresponding connector on the flexible circuit board and its external electronic components, which saves complicated processes such as plating vias and solder ball bonding, and the assembly cost and production cost can also be reduced. .

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the novel creation, and any person skilled in the art can make some changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel creation. Retouching, the scope of protection of this new creation is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

110‧‧‧terminal

112‧‧‧Flexible cantilever

112a‧‧‧Free end

114‧‧‧Fixed end

120‧‧‧Adhesive layer

130‧‧‧Insulation

210‧‧‧Soft substrate

D ₁ ‧‧‧Soft board thickness

D ₂ ‧ ‧ thickness sum

H1‧‧‧ Height

Claims (7)

A connector for a flexible circuit board, the flexible circuit board comprising a flexible substrate, the connector comprising: a plurality of terminals, each of the terminals comprising a resilient cantilever and a fixed end, each of the fixed ends being connected The elastic cantilever is disposed on the flexible substrate to be electrically connected to the flexible circuit board, and each of the elastic cantilevers extends away from the flexible substrate; an adhesive layer is disposed on the flexible substrate and the terminals And an insulating layer covering the terminals and having a plurality of openings respectively exposing the elastic cantilevers. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a stiffener having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the terminals, the adhesive layer And the insulating layer is disposed on the first surface, and the reinforcing material is correspondingly disposed on the second surface. The connector of claim 2, wherein the connector passes through the plurality of fasteners, and the connector and the flexible circuit board are locked to an electronic component through the reinforcing material, and The resilient cantilever is electrically connected to the electronic component. The connector of claim 3, wherein when the connector and the flexible circuit board are locked to the electronic component, the flexible circuit board is located between the electronic component and the reinforcing material, and the The elastic cantilever is in contact with the electronic component. The connector of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board has a thickness of between 0.15 mm (mm) and 0.3 mm (mm). The connector of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board The sum of the thicknesses of the connector is between 0.3 mm (mm) and 0.5 mm (mm). The connector of claim 1, further comprising a conductive paste disposed between the flexible substrate and the terminals.