Cable connector

Details Cable connector Cable connector

2003-05-08

2004-10-26

Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Including or for use with tape cable

With mating connection region formed by bared cable

C439S260000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06808412

ABSTRACT:

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-134691 filed May 9, 2002, which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable connector for electrically connecting one end of a cable to a circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
When electric components are electrically connected to each other in the interior of an electronic apparatus, a cable connector is in practical use. The cable connector electrically connects electrical components to a printed circuit board via a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit (FPC). As the cable connector, for example, a rotary type or a slide type which is different from each other in the manner of fixation of the cable is in practical use. As shown in
FIGS. 21A and 21B
, the cable connector of the rotary type includes, for example, a connector body
4
having a cable accommodation portion
12
disposed on a printed circuit board
2
, a plurality of contact terminals
10
ai
(i=1 to n wherein n is a positive integer) for electrically connecting an electrode section of the printed circuit board
2
with a terminal section
6
E of a flexible printed circuit
6
, and a stopper member
8
supported in a rotational movably manner relative to the connector body
4
, for carrying out the detachment and attachment of the terminal section of the flexible printed circuit
6
relative to the contact portion of the contact terminals
10
ai.
The connector body
4
has at one end thereof an inserting opening
14
through which the terminal section of the flexible printed circuit
6
connected to the connector body
4
passes. The inserting opening
14
communicates with the cable accommodation portion
12
formed in the interior of the connector body
4
. The cable accommodation portion
12
is defined by being encircled with an inner wall of the connector body
4
. A bottom opposed to the printed circuit board
2
in the cable accommodation portion
12
is opened. In a portion of the connector body
4
forming an upper part of the cable accommodation portion
12
, opposite side ends of a proximal end portion of the stopper member
8
are respectively supported in a rotational movably manner. The stopper member
8
has a pressing surface
8
a
in a portion opposed to the cable accommodation portion
12
, which touches to a back panel section
6
B of the flexible printed circuit
6
described later and pressing the same toward the contact section of the contact terminals
10
ai.
The plurality of contact terminals
10
ai
are arranged in the cable accommodation portion
12
in correspondence to the array of the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
. The respective contact terminal
10
ai
is comprised of a stationary terminal section
10
S soldered to the terminal section of the printed circuit board
2
, a bifurcated stopper section
10
B and movable terminal section
10
A, and a coupled section
10
C for coupling a confluence portion of the stopper section
10
B and the movable terminal section
10
A with the stationary terminal section
10
S.
A front end of the stopper portion
10
B of the respective contact terminal
10
ai
is located to face a recess of the stopper member
8
. Thereby, as shown in
FIG. 21A
, when a front end of the stopper member
8
is away from the cable accommodation portion
12
; that is, when the stopper member
8
is in an unlocked state, the front end of the stopper
10
B is engageable with the peripheral edge of the recess of the stopper member
8
to restrict an opening angle of the stopper member
8
.
The movable terminal section
10
A has a contact portion at a front end thereof for the electrical connection with the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
.
The coupled section
10
C is fixed to the connector body
4
by press-fitting a projection thereof into a slit formed adjacent to the cable accommodation portion
12
of the connector body
4
.
According to such a structure, when the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
is electrically connected to the contact portion of the respective contact terminal
10
ai
, as shown in
FIG. 21A
, after the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
is inserted in the direction shown by an arrow F into the inserting opening
14
to a position in the vicinity of a back wall
4
a
defining a rear side of the cable accommodation portion
12
, the front end of the stopper member
8
is made to rotationally move in the direction shown by an arrow L. Thus, the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
is pressed onto the contact portion of the movable terminal section
10
A of the contact terminal
10
ai
by the pressing surface
8
a
of the stopper member
8
and electrically connected thereto. At that time, the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
is nipped by the pressing surface
8
a
of the stopper member
8
and the movable terminal section
10
A of the respective contact terminal
10
ai
which carried out elastic displacement.
As shown in
FIGS. 22A and 22B
, the sliding type cable connector includes, for example, a connector body
18
having a cable accommodation portion
16
disposed on a printed circuit board
2
, a plurality of contact terminals
20
ai
(i=1 to n wherein n is a positive integer) for electrically connecting an electrode section of the printed circuit board
2
with a terminal section
6
E of a flexible printed circuit
6
, and a stopper member
22
supported in a slidable manner relative to the connector body
18
, for carrying out the detachment and attachment of the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
relative to the contact portion of the contact terminals
20
ai.
The connector body
18
has at one end thereof an inserting opening
24
through which the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
connected to the connector body
18
passes. The inserting opening
24
communicates with the cable accommodation portion
16
formed in the interior of the connector body
18
. The cable accommodation portion
16
of the connector body
18
is defined by being encircled with an inner wall of the connector body
18
. A guide groove
18
g
for supporting opposite ends of the stopper member
22
in a slidable manner is formed on the inside of the connector body
18
in which an upper part of the cable accommodation portion
16
is formed in the attachment/detachment direction of the flexible printed circuit
6
. The stopper member
22
has, in a portion opposed to the cable accommodation portion
16
, a pressing surface
22
a
for pressing a back panel
6
B of the flexible printed circuit
6
toward the contact section of the contact terminal
20
ai
described later, while sliding the back panel
6
B along a back panel
6
B of the flexible printed circuit
6
.
A guiding surface
22
b
having a slant portion
22
s
at the midpoint thereof is formed in a portion opposite to the pressing surface
22
a
of the stopper member
22
.
The plurality of contact terminals
20
ai
are arranged in the cable accommodation portion
16
in correspondence to the array of the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
. The respective contact terminal
20
ai
is comprised of a stationary terminal section
20
S soldered to the terminal section of the printed circuit board
2
, a bifurcated guiding piece
20
B and movable terminal section
20
A, and a coupled section
20
C for coupling a confluence portion of the guiding piece
20
B and the movable terminal section
20
A with the stationary terminal section
20
S.
A front end of the guiding piece
20
B of the respective contact terminal
20
ai
is disposed to face the guiding surface
22
b
of the stopper member
22
. The movable terminal section
20
A has, at a front end thereof, a contact section for the electrical connection with the terminal section
6
E of the flexible printed circuit
6
.
The coupled section
20
C is fixe

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