Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-25
2004-11-23
Nguyen, Truc T. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06821158
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a connector having a connector plug and a connector receptacle for connecting a cable such as an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) to a substrate.
BACKGROUND ART
As shown in
FIG. 53A
,
FIG. 53B
, and
FIG. 54
, a conventional connector plug A for a connector with a shield used for interconnecting substrates in notebook computers and other electronic devices has a plurality of contacts
710
, a metal first shell
720
, a conductive metal second shell
740
, and a molded resin insulator
730
. The conductive metal second shell
740
is insert molded with the molded resin insulator
730
, and a plurality of contacts
710
are press fit into the molded resin insulator
730
.
A connector receptacle fitting
750
mating with a connector receptacle B as shown in
FIG. 55A
,
FIG. 55B
, and
FIG. 55C
is disposed to one side of the molded resin insulator
730
, and an FPC fitting
760
mating with an FPC is disposed to the opposite side of the molded resin insulator
730
.
A drawback of this conventional connector plug A is the number of parts in the shell, that is, the shell consists of two parts, i.e., the first shell
720
and second shell
740
.
Another problem is that in order to reduce the overall thickness, the insulator
730
of the connector receptacle fitting
750
necessarily becomes thinner and mechanically weaker, making it necessary to insert mold the second shell
740
in order to retain sufficient strength.
A yet further problem is that the second shell
740
of the connector plug A contacts the conductive metal shell
774
of connector receptacle B, but because the second shell
740
has no flexible parts, ground contacts
772
for flexibly contacting the second shell
740
must be provided on the connector receptacle B side.
More specifically, a connector receptacle B as shown in
FIG. 56A
,
FIG. 56B
,
FIG. 57
, and
FIG. 58
has been proposed.
This connector receptacle B has multiple contacts
771
for conductively contacting the contacts
710
of connector plug A, ground contacts
772
connected to a ground pattern of a wiring board, a support frame
773
made of a synthetic resin or other insulation material for supporting contacts
771
and ground contacts
772
, and a metal shell
774
holding the contacts
771
, ground contacts
772
, and support frame
773
.
As shown in FIG.
57
and
FIG. 58
, multiple contacts
771
are press fit into the support frame
773
at substantially equal intervals along the long side, and ground contacts
772
are similarly press fit into the support frame
773
separately from contacts
771
. The open side of the shell
774
is then fit over the support frame
773
so as to enclose the contacts
771
, ground contacts
772
, and support frame
773
, thus completing the connector receptacle B assembly. Contact terminals
771
a
disposed at the ends of the contacts
771
protrude from the back of the shell
774
. The connector receptacle B is mounted to a wiring board with the contact terminals
771
a
bonded to the conductor pattern on the wiring board, and connector plug A is inserted to the front opening of the shell
774
.
The shell
774
is stamped or pressed from a single piece of metal, and has a U-shaped section.
The shape of this prior art shell is thus complex and press forming the shell is increasingly difficult as the shell becomes thinner.
The present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a connector having a connector plug with an FPC connection shield that can be made thin and is made of few parts, and a connector receptacle that can be made thinner without sacrificing shell manufacturability.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accomplishing the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a connector having a connector plug and a connector receptacle for connecting a cable and a substrate where the connector plug has a shell made of a conductive material of which both sides are open, and an insulator made of a resin molding. The insulator has a first fitting part on a first side for mating with the connector receptacle, a second fitting part on a second side for mating with the cable, and a plurality of contacts disposed on the second fitting part side. The shell has flexible parts for flexibly contacting a connector receptacle shell mated with the first fitting part. The insulator is fit into the shell from an opening on one side of the shell.
By thus providing flexible parts for flexibly contacting the shell of the connector receptacle with the shell of the connector plug, it is not necessary to provide ground contacts on the connector receptacle. The number of parts in the connector receptacle is therefore reduced and the connector can be made thinner.
Preferably, recesses substantially U-shaped in section are formed on a surface of the insulator so as to extend in the direction of the first fitting part from the base between the insulator contacts, and the flexible parts are disposed inside these recesses. Interference between the insulator and flexible parts of the shell is thus prevented, and a thin connector plug can be achieved.
Further preferably, a shoulder for holding the cable to the contacts is formed on the second fitting part side on an inside surface of the shell opposite the insulator contacts. The contacts can thus only be deformed the size of the shoulder of the shell plus the thickness of the cable such as a flexible printed circuit board. Contact pressure between the contacts and a signal pattern of the cable, and between the shell and a ground pattern of the cable, is thus increased, and reliable contact can be assured.
Yet further preferably, the cable is a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) and a pressing part for pressing and positioning the FPC to an inside surface of the shell is formed at an edge of the shell opening on the second fitting part side. Deformation of the FPC away from this inside surface when the FPC is provisionally inserted or the FPC is fully connected can thus be prevented.
Yet further preferably, the shell has stops formed on both sides of the opening on the second fitting part side for preventing removal of the FPC, and the FPC has a protrusion formed on both sides at an end thereof. With this configuration, when the end of the FPC is inserted to the opening of the shell of the connector plug that is then provisionally positioned at a first position with respect to the insulator and when both the shell of the connector plug and the FPC are slid toward the first fitting part side from the first position to a second position where the insulator and the shell of the connector plug engage, the contacts flexibly deform to hold the FPC between the contacts and the inside surface of the shell of the connector plug.
The FPC is thus positioned by the FPC presser parts and stops of the shell when the FPC is inserted, skewed insertion of the FPC is thus prevented, and it is easier to fit the FPC to the shell.
Yet further preferably, the connector receptacle has a plurality of contacts for conductively contacting the contact of the connector plug, a support frame made of an insulation material for supporting and arraying the contacts, a first shell made of metal extending through the length of the contact array, and a second shell extending through the length of the contact array. The first and second shells engage with each other so that the contacts of the connector receptacle and the support frame are disposed therebetween, and an insertion opening for inserting the connector plug is formed therebetween, wherein a plurality of recesses enabling free insertion and removal of the contacts of the connector receptacle are formed to the support frame along an open edge of the insertion opening.
Interference between the support frame and ends of the contacts is thus prevented when the connector plug is inserted from the insertion opening, and the connector can be made even thinner.
Further preferably, the support f
Hoshino Narutoshi
Iida Mitsuru
Takeyama Hidetoshi
Tanaka Hirohisa
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Harvey James R.
Matsushita Electric & Works Ltd.
Nguyen Truc T.
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