Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Flexible panel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2002-07-16
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Flexible panel
Reexamination Certificate
active
06419501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flexible printed circuit board connector for electrically connecting a flexible printed circuit board.
2. Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 4
, a conventional flexible printed circuit board connector for electrically connecting a flexible printed circuit board comprises a male connector
32
, having spring terminals
31
, and a female connector
35
which is provided with the flexible printed circuit board
33
, and has an opening
34
for receiving the terminals
31
of the male connector
32
.
The flexible printed circuit board
33
is placed on the female connector
35
to cover the opening
34
, and then the terminals
31
are pushed into the opening
34
through the flexible printed circuit board
33
, and are contacted with the flexible printed circuit board
33
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, inner side surfaces of the opening
34
in the female connector
35
are flat, and a guide portion
36
(see
FIG. 4
) for guiding the male connector
32
is formed at a longitudinal end of the opening
34
.
The male connector
32
includes a male connector casing
37
made of an insulating material, and the plurality of terminals (terminal plates)
31
, corresponding to the number of poles, are mounted in the male connector casing
37
. Integrally formed at a rear end of each of the terminals (terminal plates)
31
is a tab terminal
38
for electrical contact with a third connector (not shown).
The terminals (terminal plates)
31
are provided at the front and rear sides of the male connector
32
. The front end portion (in a connector-inserting direction) of the terminal (terminal plate)
31
is folded back, and with this construction the terminal
31
has suitable resiliency in a direction of expansion of this folded-back portion (for example, in a right-left direction in FIG.
5
), and its contact portion projects from the male connector casing
37
.
When the male connector
32
is inserted relative to the female connector
35
in such a manner that a guide projection (not shown), formed on the male connector casing
37
, is registered with the guide portion
36
of the female connector
35
, the contact portions of the terminals (terminal plates)
31
of the male connector
32
press the flexible printed circuit board
33
against the inner side surfaces of the female connector
35
, so that the terminals (terminal plates)
31
are electrically contacted with contact portions of the flexible printed circuit board
33
, respectively.
However, in the conventional flexible printed circuit board connector, for example, when the ambient temperature abruptly changes, the dimensions of the parts vary as shown in
FIG. 6
, and therefore an expansion-contraction load acts on the flexible printed circuit board
33
, so that an excessive bending motion develops in the flexible printed circuit board
33
because a flange portion
39
of the male connector
32
abuts against this board
33
.
As a result of repetition of this bending motion (indicated by arrow B in FIG.
6
), a repeated bending stress develops in that portion of the flexible printed circuit board
33
held by the flange portion
39
, which leads to a possibility that conductors on this portion
33
a
are cut.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This invention has been made in order to solve the above problem, and an object of the invention is to provide a flexible printed circuit board connector in which a trouble, such as the cutting of conductors on a flexible printed circuit board by expansion-contraction due to an ambient temperature change, is prevented.
The above object has been achieved by a connector of the invention for a flexible printed circuit board comprising a male connector, having spring terminals, and a female connector which is provided with the flexible printed circuit board, and has an opening for receiving the terminals of the male connector, wherein the flexible printed circuit board is placed on the female connector to cover the opening, and then the terminals are pushed into the opening through the flexible printed circuit board, and are contacted with the flexible printed circuit board; CHARACTERIZED in that a gap for allowing the movement of the flexible printed circuit board is provided at the male connector.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, the terminals, provided at the male connector can have such resiliency as to allow the movement of the flexible printed circuit board.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, even if the flexible printed circuit board repeatedly expands and contracts when the ambient temperature abruptly changes, a bending load will not act in a concentrated manner on one portion of the flexible printed circuit board since the flexible printed board can move, and therefore the cutting of conductors on the flexible printed circuit board is prevented.
In the flexible printed circuit board connector of the present invention, there are provided the gap for allowing the movement of the flexible printed circuit board, and besides the resiliency of the terminals of the male connector prevents the flexible printed circuit board from being held in undue restraint, and therefore the risk of cutting of the conductors is avoided more effectively.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4241968 (1980-12-01), Fukunaga
patent: 4374603 (1983-02-01), Fukunaga et al.
patent: 4489999 (1984-12-01), Miniet
patent: 5123850 (1992-06-01), Elder et al.
patent: 5337202 (1994-08-01), Jabbarai et al.
patent: 5632630 (1997-05-01), Card et al.
patent: 5993247 (1999-11-01), Kidd
patent: 6019625 (2000-02-01), Nimura et al.
patent: C2 31 08 858 (1984-08-01), None
patent: 3430573 (1984-10-01), None
patent: A1 42 37 496 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 5-17971 (1993-05-01), None
JP 10164730 (Abstact) In: Patent Abstracts of Japan (CD-ROM) (No date).
Okabe Toshiaki
Ozawa Toshiaki
Le Thanh-Tam
Sircus Brian
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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