Electrical connectors – Coupling part having handle or means to move contact... – Having open slot for receiving panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-22
2003-10-28
Nasri, Javaid H. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part having handle or means to move contact...
Having open slot for receiving panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06638089
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector which is electrically connected to a substrate in which a conductor pattern and electrodes at ends of the conductor pattern are provided on a surface of the substrate, the connector having contacts connected to the electrodes of the substrate. More specifically, the present invention relates to a connector that is appropriate for use with a glass substrate which forms a plasma display panel, the connector having contacts connected to electrodes of the glass substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a connector is electrically connected to a substrate wherein a conductor pattern and electrodes at ends of the conductor pattern are provided on a surface of the substrate, the connector having contacts connected to the electrodes of the substrate. For example, the substrate of this kind is used for card type information recording media, liquid-crystal display panels and plasma display panels.
A method of electrically connecting the connector to the substrate of the above type is that the connector contacts are mounted on the substrate electrodes by applying a pressing force, and the connections between the contacts and the electrodes are made by soldering. Another method is that a connector, having an insertion portion wherein contacts are internally provided, is inserted into an electrode portion of a substrate from the side of the substrate, and a frictional connection between the contacts and the substrate electrodes is made by the insertion operation.
In the former method, no substantial frictional connection between the contact and the electrode is required. This method may be called a zero insertion force method. The pressing and soldering steps of this method do not damage the substrate electrodes or the connector contacts. However, the individual connections between the contacts and the electrodes must be made by soldering. The soldering operations needed are time consuming, and the operability of this method is poor.
In the latter method, the frictional connection between the contacts and the electrodes can be easily performed by a one-touch operation. However, when the attaching of the connector to the substrate and the detaching of the connector from the substrate are repeated, the repeated operations in this method will cause the wearing or deformation of the substrate electrodes or the connector contacts, which is liable to damage the electrodes or the contacts.
As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.10-83873, an improved structure of connection between a glass substrate and a printed circuit board has been proposed in order to eliminate the above problems. FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
show a configuration of the connection structure of the connector and the substrate disclosed in the above document.
As shown in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
, a liquid-crystal display panel
1
is formed by the glass substrate to be connected to the printed circuit board. In the liquid-crystal display panel
1
, a liquid-crystal plate is interposed between two opposing glass substrates
3
a
and
3
b
, and each of the glass substrates
3
a
and
3
b
has transparent electrodes
2
provided therein. In the glass substrate
3
b
, the transparent electrodes
2
include respective extended parts which are exposed. The printed circuit board
4
includes a display driver circuit (L
5
I) and other circuits (not shown) provided thereon, and the display driver circuit controls the liquid-crystal display panel
1
connected to the printed circuit board
4
.
The printed circuit board
4
includes a female connector
5
provided at a peripheral edge of the board. The transparent electrodes
2
of the glass substrate
3
b
serve as the male contacts. When the glass substrate
3
b
is inserted to the female connector
5
, the electrodes
2
are connected to the connector
5
so that electric connection between the glass substrate
3
b
and the printed circuit board
4
is established.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the female connector
5
is provided with a female contact
6
, a housing
7
, and a slider
8
. The female contact
6
has a resilient characteristic. The housing
7
accommodates the female contact
6
inside the housing. The slider
8
is movably attached to the housing
7
, and it is moved relative to the housing
7
when the glass substrate
3
b
is inserted to the female connector
5
, so that the slider
8
serves to hold the transparent electrodes
2
of the glass substrate
3
b
with the female contact
6
.
The slider
8
includes a holding portion
8
a
and a pair of 5 mounting portions
8
b
. The holding portion
8
a
is extending along the width direction of the board
4
. The mounting portions
8
b
are provided at ends of the holding portion
8
a
to attach the slider
8
to the housing
7
. The holding portion
8
a
includes a flat holding surface
8
c
on the top thereof, and this holding surface
8
c
holds the glass substrate
3
b
with the female contact
6
when the glass substrate
3
b
is inserted to the female connector
5
. The holding portion
8
a
includes a slanted surface
8
d
on the bottom thereof, and the holding portion
8
a
has a decreasing thickness along the direction of the insertion of the glass substrate
3
b.
The housing
7
includes a pair of grooved portions
7
a
at positions corresponding to the mounting portions
8
b
of the slider
8
. The mounting portions
8
b
are movably attached to the grooved portions
7
a
, and the slider
8
is movable relative to the housing
7
within a given range of allowance along the direction of the insertion of the glass substrate
3
b.
In the connection structure shown in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
, when the glass substrate
3
b
is inserted to the female connector
5
, the slider
8
is moved relative to the housing
7
in the direction of the insertion, so that the holding portion
8
a
is pushed inside the housing
7
and the glass substrate
3
b
is held between the female contact
6
and the holding surface
8
c
of the slider
8
.
According to the above-described connection structure, the number of the connection points can be reduced to a value that is smaller than that of a conventional connection method using a flexible printed circuit board and an anisotropic conduction rubber connector. The reliability of connection of the connector and the substrate can be increased. Further, the number of the needed parts and the number of the needed assembly processes are decreased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
However, in the above-described connection structure, it is difficult to maintain the contact condition of the female contact
6
and the electrodes
2
with adequate stability. When the connector
5
is connected to the glass substrate
3
b
, the slider
8
exerts pressure onto the female contact
6
via the electrodes
2
, which will cause the deformation of the female contact
6
. The pressure exerted by the slider
8
onto the female contact
6
reduces the spring force of the female contact
6
, which will make the contact condition of the female contact
6
and the electrodes
2
inadequate or unstable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved connector in which the above-described problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that is easily connected to the substrate by a one-touch operation, and maintains the contact condition of the connector contacts and the substrate electrodes with adequate stability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that requires no insertion force when it is connected to the substrate, and does not damage the substrate electrodes or the connector contacts.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a connector which is electrically connected to a substrate in which a conductor pattern and electrodes at ends of the conductor pattern are provided on a surface of the substrate, the connector comprising: a plu
Akama Junichi
Fukumoto Yutaka
Kondou Takahiro
Miyazawa Hideo
Shimizu Manabu
Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
Nasri Javaid H.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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