CN216773563U

CN216773563U - Connector with a locking member

Info

Publication number: CN216773563U
Application number: CN202123260543.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 林贤昌
Original assignee: P Two Electronic Technology Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: P Two Electronic Technology Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-09
Filing date: 2021-12-23
Publication date: 2022-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2031-12-23
Also published as: TWM621468U; JP3236699U

Abstract

The utility model provides a connector, which comprises a rubber core, a first terminal set, a second terminal set and a cover body. The rubber core comprises an insertion part, a connecting part and a plurality of bearing parts, and an accommodating space and an action area are formed by the insertion part, the connecting part and the plurality of bearing parts. The accommodating space is used for arranging an external flexible printed circuit board and the connecting part is used for stopping the flexible printed circuit board in the action area. The first terminal set includes a plurality of first electrodes and the second terminal set includes a plurality of second electrodes. The cover body exposes or closes the accommodating space and the action area through the rotating shaft parts. The plurality of first electrodes may be previously embedded in the insertion portion or the plurality of second electrodes may be previously embedded in the connection portion. The first electrodes and the second electrodes are arranged in a staggered manner with a narrow pitch.

Description

Connector with a locking member

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of connectors, in particular to a connector.

Background

Conventionally, a wire-to-Board connector provides a plurality of front/rear electrodes to connect a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

As the field functions used by the connector are changed, for example, in the field for vehicles, the number of electrodes required for the front end and the rear end of the connector is increasing, and fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wire-to-board connector in the prior art. In fig. 1, the number of the electrodes 22,22' of the wire-to-board connector 2 exceeds 10, and an electrode groove 24 that can be used to receive the electrodes 22,22' is formed between the electrodes 22 and 22'. Since the electrode groove 24 has a considerable thickness, when the electrodes 22,22' are disposed in the electrode groove 24, the length of the entire wire-to-board connector 2 will be greatly increased. Longer wire-to-board connectors 2 are fragile and easily damaged, which is disadvantageous for assembly and use.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a connector, which can solve the problems that the conventional connector cannot solve.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The first objective of the present invention is to provide a connector, which can eliminate the disadvantage that the conventional connector needs to pass the electrical signals through the electrode slots independently.

A second objective of the present invention is to embed the front electrode and/or the back electrode into the plastic core in advance by interleaving the front electrode and the back electrode and pre-molding (e.g. insert molding) the front electrode and the back electrode, so as to reduce the space between two adjacent electrodes, thereby achieving the purpose of having electrodes with narrow space (or very narrow space).

To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a connector capable of connecting a flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of wires and a circuit board body. The connector comprises a rubber core, a first terminal set, a second terminal set and a cover body. The rubber core comprises an insertion portion, a connection portion and a plurality of bearing portions. The insertion portion, the connection portion and the plurality of bearing portions form an accommodating space and an active area. The bearing portions are located on both sides of the insertion portion and the connection portion. The accommodating space is used for arranging the flexible printed circuit board, and the flexible printed circuit board is stopped at the connecting part, so that the plurality of wires are positioned in the action area. The first terminal set comprises a plurality of first electrodes. The plurality of first electrodes respectively provide a first contact end and a first connection end. The plurality of first connection ends can be connected with the circuit board body. The second terminal set includes a plurality of second electrodes. The plurality of second electrodes respectively provide a second contact end and a second connection end. The plurality of second connection terminals can be connected to the circuit board body. The cover body forms a plurality of rotating shaft parts. The plurality of rotating shaft portions are arranged corresponding to the plurality of bearing portions, and after the plurality of rotating shaft portions are coupled with the plurality of bearing portions, the cover body is rotated on the bearing portions by the plurality of rotating shaft portions to expose or close the accommodating space and the acting area. In the process of molding the rubber core, the plurality of first electrodes can be embedded into the insertion part in advance, or the plurality of second electrodes can be embedded into the connecting part in advance. The first electrodes and the second electrodes are arranged in a staggered mode, a narrow distance is reserved between each first electrode and each second electrode, and the first contact ends and the second contact ends are located in the active area and can be in contact with the leads.

Preferably, the insertion portion is adjacent to the first connection end, and a plurality of first positioning holes are formed to position the plurality of first connection ends.

Preferably, the connecting portion is adjacent to the second connecting end, and a plurality of second positioning holes are formed to position the plurality of second connecting ends.

Preferably, the package further includes a third terminal set and a plurality of bearing portions forming a plurality of fixing slots, the third terminal set has a plurality of third electrodes disposed on the plurality of fixing slots for fixing the rubber core to the circuit board.

Preferably, the first contact ends of the first electrodes and the second contact ends of the second electrodes are disposed in the active region in a staggered manner.

Preferably, the plurality of first contact ends and the plurality of second contact ends are suspended in the active region.

Preferably, the first protruding points of the first contact ends and the first connection ends are separated by a first height.

Preferably, the plurality of second contact terminals are of a fishfork shape, so that when the accommodating space and the action area are closed by the cover body, the flexible printed circuit board is clamped between the accommodating space and the action area.

Preferably, the front edge of the insertion portion forms a plurality of guiding angles for guiding the flexible printed circuit board into the accommodating space.

The connector has several bearing parts with locking part, operating part and elastic part, and the operating part protrudes from the cover.

Compared with the conventional connector, the connector provided by the utility model can provide the multiple electrodes with narrow pitches in a staggered manner, so that the size of the whole connector can be greatly reduced, and the good electrical signal transmission quality can be still maintained besides the size reduction.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art wire-to-board connector.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3(a) is a perspective view illustrating the rubber core of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

Fig. 3(b) is a top view illustrating the rubber core of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

Fig. 3(c) is a front view illustrating the glue core of fig. 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 3(d) is a rear view illustrating the rubber core of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

Fig. 4(a) is a perspective view illustrating the first terminal set and the second terminal set of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

FIG. 4(b) is a top view illustrating the rubber core of FIG. 2 according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a top view illustrating the combination of the gel core and the first electrode of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

Description of the symbols:

2 … wire-to-board connector

22. An electrode 22'

24 … electrode groove

A flexible printed circuit board

A head end

10

Rubber core

An insertion portion

1224.. first locating hole

124

1242

1244

Bearing shaft portion

1262

A first terminal set

142

1422

1424

1426

A second terminal set

A second electrode

1622

1624

1626

Cover body

Shaft part

A third terminal set

A third electrode

Chamfering

SP.. accommodating space

WA.. region of action

A first height

Narrow spacing

Detailed Description

For a fuller understanding of the objects, features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the present disclosure, "a" or "an" is used to describe the units, elements and components described herein. This is done for convenience of illustration only and to provide a general sense of the scope of the utility model. Accordingly, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, such description should be read to include one, at least one and the singular also includes the plural.

In the present invention, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," "has," "containing," or any other similar term, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, an element, structure, article, or apparatus that comprises a plurality of elements is not limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such element, structure, article, or apparatus. In addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or".

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the utility model. In fig. 2, the connector 10 is illustrated as being capable of connecting a flexible printed circuit board 4 having a plurality of wires (not shown) and a circuit board body (not shown). The wires are wrapped around the flexible printed circuit board 4, and the wires are exposed on the lower surface of the head end 42 of the flexible printed circuit board 4.

The connector 10 includes a plastic core 12, a first terminal set 14, a second terminal set 16 and a cover 18.

Fig. 3(a) to 3(d) are schematic views illustrating the structure of the rubber core shown in fig. 2 according to the present invention. Wherein, FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view illustrating the glue core of FIG. 2 of the present invention; FIG. 3(b) is a top view of the glue cartridge of FIG. 2 illustrating the present invention; FIG. 3(c) is a front view illustrating the glue core of FIG. 2 of the present invention; and, FIG. 3(d) is a rear view of the rubber core of FIG. 2 illustrating the present invention.

The core 12 includes an insertion portion 122, a connecting portion 124 and a plurality of bearing portions 126. Here, the number of the plurality of bearing portions 126 is described by taking two as an example. The insertion portion 122, the connection portion 124 and the bearing portion 126 may be integrally formed, for example, the rubber core 12 is formed by injection molding to form the insertion portion 122, the connection portion 124 and the bearing portion 126.

The insertion portion 122, the connection portion 124 and the bearing portion 126 form an accommodating space SP and an active area WA, and the bearing portion 126 is located at two sides (or two wings) of the insertion portion 122 and the connection portion 124. In fig. 2, the height of the insertion portion 122 is lower than the height of the connection portion 124 and the bearing portion 126 to form a C-shaped accommodation space SP, and an active area WA having an opening shape is provided in the accommodation space SP. The accommodating space SP is used for disposing the flexible printed circuit board 4, and when the flexible printed circuit board 4 enters the accommodating space SP through the inserting portion 122, the flexible printed circuit board 4 is stopped by the connecting portion 124 and is limited in the accommodating space SP, and by the above design, the conductive wires are positioned in the active area WA, so that the electrodes of the first terminal set 14 and the second terminal set 16 in fig. 2 can be disposed in the active area WA and electrically connected to the conductive wires limited in the active area WA, which will be described later.

Fig. 4(a) to 4(b) are schematic views illustrating the first terminal set and the second terminal set of fig. 2 according to the present invention. Fig. 4(a) is a perspective view illustrating the first terminal set, the second terminal set and the third terminal set of fig. 2 according to the present invention; and, fig. 4(b) is a plan view illustrating the first terminal group, the second terminal group and the third terminal group of fig. 2 according to the present invention.

The first terminal set 14 includes a plurality of first electrodes 142, and each of the first electrodes 142 provides a first contact end 1422 and a first connection end 1424 respectively formed at two free ends of the first electrode 142. The first connecting end 1424 can connect a circuit board and the first contact end 1422 can connect a conductive wire of the flexible printed circuit board 4. In the embodiment, the first electrode 142 is in the shape of a single plate electrode, and a first height H is formed between the first contact end 1422 and a first connection end 1424. Also, the first raised point 1426 of the first contact end 1422 can be used to contact a wire.

The second terminal set 16 includes a plurality of second electrodes 162, and each of the second electrodes 162 provides a second contact end 1622 and a second connection end 1624 respectively formed at two free ends of the second electrode 162. The second connecting terminal 1624 is capable of connecting the circuit board body with a wire of the flexible printed circuit board 4 connected to the second contact terminal 1622. In the embodiment, the second contact end 1622 is shaped like a fish fork, and can clamp the flexible printed circuit board 4 between the accommodating space SP and the active area WA when the cover 18 closes the accommodating space SP and the active area WA; also, the second bump 1626 of the second contact end 1622 can be used to connect a wire.

The first contact end 1422 and the second contact end 1622 can form an elastic electrode through height adjustment or structural design thereof, so as to improve the yield of electrical contact; the first contact terminal 1422 and the second contact terminal 1622 are disposed in the active area WA. Therefore, the active area WA having the opening can also tolerate the deformation generated by the first contact terminal 1422 and the second contact terminal 1622 acting on the flexible printed circuit board 4.

In addition, in the embodiment, it should be noted that the first contact ends 1422 of the first electrodes 142 and the second contact ends 1622 of the second electrodes 162 are alternately disposed in the active area WA, and a narrow distance d is formed between each first electrode 142 and each second electrode 162, i.e., from the center of the first electrode 142 to the center of the second electrode 162, for example, less than or equal to 0.4 millimeter (mm).

It is noted that in the present embodiment, the first electrode 142 is embedded into the insertion portion 122 in advance, and fig. 5 is also referred to, which is a top view illustrating the combination of the rubber core and the first electrode in fig. 2 according to the present invention. In fig. 5, during molding (molding) the insert 122 of the core rubber 12, the first terminal group 14 is directly fixed to the insert 122 by, for example, a metal injection molding (insert molding) process, and the plurality of first electrodes 142 are arranged at, for example, equal intervals. Since the first terminal set 14 is embedded in the insertion portion 122 in advance, the first contact terminals 1422 of the first electrodes 142 are firmly and intermittently disposed in the active area WA. The connection portion 124 may be formed by opening a first through hole 1242 (see fig. 3 d) in advance and inserting the second electrode 162. It should be noted that the first through hole 1242 is disposed at a position corresponding to between the first contact ends 1422 of the two first electrodes 142, so that when the second electrode 162 is inserted into the first through hole 1242, the second contact end 1622 of the second electrode 162 can be disposed between the two first electrodes 142. Furthermore, the first contact terminal 1422 of the first electrode 142 and the second contact terminal 1622 of the second electrode 162 in the active area WA are suspended in the active area WA, and can be electrically connected to the conductive trace of the flexible printed circuit board 4.

In another embodiment, the second electrode 162 may be embedded into the connecting portion 124 in advance, that is, the second electrode 162 is directly fixed to the connecting portion 124 by a metal injection embedding process during the molding (molding) of the core rubber 12, so that the plurality of second electrodes 162 are arranged at equal intervals, for example. Since the second electrode 162 is embedded in the connecting portion 124 in advance, the second contact end 1622 of the second electrode 162 is firmly and intermittently disposed in the active area WA. Alternatively, the insertion portion 122 may be formed by pre-forming a second through hole (not shown) for the first electrode 142 to be inserted. It is noted that the second through hole may be disposed between the second contact ends 1622 of the second electrodes 162, such that the first contact end 1422 of the first electrode 142 can be disposed between two second electrodes 162 or on one side of the second electrode 162 when the first electrode 142 is inserted into the second through hole. Furthermore, the second contact end 1622 of the second electrode 162 and the first contact end 1422 of the first electrode 142 in the active area WA are suspended in the active area WA, and can be electrically connected to the conductive trace of the flexible printed circuit board 4.

In another embodiment, in addition to the first terminal set 14 and the second terminal set 16, a third terminal set 20 is provided, and the third terminal set 20 has a plurality (e.g., two) of third electrodes 202. In order to fix the third electrode 202 on the bearing portion 126, in the embodiment, referring to fig. 3(a), the bearing portion 126 further includes a plurality of fixing grooves 1262, and the third electrode 202 is disposed on the fixing grooves 1262, so that when one end of the third electrode 202 is disposed on the circuit board, for example, by welding, the core 12 can be fixed on the circuit board.

Returning to fig. 2, the cover 18 forms a plurality of rotating shaft portions 182. Here, the rotation shaft portion 182 is formed on both sides of the cover 18 to correspond to the bearing portion 126. After the rotating shaft 182 is coupled (or snapped, inserted, etc.) with the bearing portion 126, the cover 18 can be rotated by the rotating shaft 182 to expose or close the accommodating space SP and the active area WA.

In another embodiment, the structure of the cover 18 and the bearing portion 126 may be replaced by another type, which can also achieve the purpose of fixing the flexible printed circuit board 4 in the accommodating space SP. For example, the cover 18 can be combined with the rubber core 12 without selectively exposing or closing the accommodating space SP and the active area WA, i.e., the cover 18 does not need to be opened or closed. In this embodiment, in order to fix or lock the flexible printed circuit board 4 in the accommodating space SP and the active area WA, the head 42 of the flexible printed circuit board 4 may have notches (not shown) formed on two sides thereof. Reference is also made to an elastic retaining portion designed in another taiwan patent publication No. M412491U of the applicant. The bearing portion 126 of fig. 2 can be replaced by a plurality of elastic retaining portions (not shown). The elastic retaining portion has a locking portion, an operating portion and an elastic portion, respectively. The operation portion protrudes from the cover body. The elastic part is connected with the operation part. The flexible printed circuit board 4 is clamped in the accommodating space SP by the pressing operation part driving the elastic part and the locking part. So that the notches at two sides of the flexible printed circuit board can interact with the locking part to achieve the purpose of stopping and fixing in the accommodating space SP. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft portion 182 of the cover 18 shown in fig. 2 can be replaced by a plurality of channels, and the channels are disposed corresponding to the elastic retaining portions, so that the operating portion can pass through the channels and protrude out of the cover. Here, the cover 18 does not expose the active area WA.

In addition to the above main configurations, other configurations are also included, and the following are also described:

referring to fig. 3(a), the front edge of the insertion portion 122 forms a plurality of lead angles 26, which can guide the flexible printed circuit board 4 into the accommodating space SP.

Referring also to fig. 3(c), the insertion portion 122 is adjacent to the first connecting end 1424, and a plurality of first positioning holes 1224 are formed for positioning the first connecting end 1424. Since the first positioning hole 1224 is adjacent to the circuit board body. Therefore, as can be understood from the first connecting end 1424 in fig. 4(a), it can be bent to conform to the position of the first positioning hole 1224, so as to be able to contact the circuit board body more.

Similarly, referring to fig. 3(d), the connecting portion 124 is adjacent to the second connecting end 1624, and a plurality of second positioning holes 1244 are formed to position the second connecting end 1624. For the same reason, it is not described herein.

While the utility model has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the utility model. It is noted that equivalent variations and substitutions for the embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of conductive wires to a circuit board body, the connector comprising:

the rubber core is provided with an insertion part, a connecting part and a plurality of bearing parts, the insertion part, the connecting part and the plurality of bearing parts form an accommodating space and an acting area, the plurality of bearing parts are positioned at two sides of the insertion part and the connecting part, the accommodating space is used for arranging the flexible printed circuit board, and the flexible printed circuit board is stopped at the connecting part so that the plurality of wires are positioned in the acting area;

the first terminal group is provided with a plurality of first electrodes which respectively provide a first contact end and a first connection end, and the plurality of first connection ends are connected with the circuit board body;

the second terminal group is provided with a plurality of second electrodes, the second electrodes are respectively provided with a second contact end and a second connecting end, and the second connecting ends are connected with the circuit board body; and

the cover body is provided with a plurality of rotating shaft parts corresponding to the plurality of bearing parts, so that after the plurality of rotating shaft parts are coupled with the plurality of bearing parts, the cover body selectively exposes or closes the accommodating space and the acting area by the rotation of the plurality of rotating shaft parts on the plurality of bearing parts;

in the process of molding the rubber core, the plurality of first electrodes are embedded into the insertion part or the plurality of second electrodes are embedded into the connecting part in advance, the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are arranged in a staggered mode, a narrow distance is reserved between each first electrode and each second electrode, and the plurality of first contact ends and the plurality of second contact ends are positioned in the action area to be in contact with the plurality of leads.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the insertion portion is adjacent to the first connection end and defines a plurality of first positioning holes for positioning the plurality of first connection ends.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is adjacent to the second connecting end, and a plurality of second positioning holes are formed to position the plurality of second connecting ends.

4. The connector as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third terminal set and a plurality of fixing grooves formed on the plurality of bearing portions, wherein the third terminal set has a plurality of third electrodes disposed on the plurality of fixing grooves for fixing the rubber core to the circuit board body.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first contact ends of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second contact ends of the plurality of second electrodes are staggered in the active area.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein said plurality of first contact ends and said plurality of second contact ends are suspended from said active area.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first raised points of the plurality of first contact ends are spaced a first height from the plurality of first connection ends.

8. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second contact terminals are of a fishfork type, so that when the cover closes the accommodating space and the active area, the flexible printed circuit board is clamped between the accommodating space and the active area.

9. The connector of claim 1, wherein a front edge of the insertion portion forms a plurality of guiding angles for guiding the flexible printed circuit board into the receiving space.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bearing portions are replaced by a plurality of elastic retaining portions, the plurality of elastic retaining portions respectively have a locking portion, an operating portion and an elastic portion, the operating portion protrudes from the cover, the elastic portion is connected to the operating portion, the flexible printed circuit board is clamped in the accommodating space by pressing the operating portion to drive the elastic portion and the locking portion, the plurality of rotating shaft portions of the cover are replaced by a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels are arranged corresponding to the plurality of elastic retaining portions, so that the operating portion passes through the plurality of channels and protrudes from the cover, and the cover does not expose the active region.