Electrical connectors – Including or for use with tape cable – With mating connection region formed by bared cable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-11
2003-12-09
Feild, Lynn (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with tape cable
With mating connection region formed by bared cable
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659794
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a connector to be used for connecting a flexible flat circuit (hereinafter abbreviated as “FFC”) board for use in, e.g., an automobile, on a wiring board. Particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement in connection with reliability and ease of assembly of a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrical connector, such as that shown in
FIGS. 38 and 39
, has hitherto been used as an electrical connector of this type.
As shown in
FIGS. 38 and 39
, reference numeral
51
designates a male connector housing. The male connector housing
51
is constituted of a base member
55
—which serves as a receiver for receiving an FFC
52
—and a fixing member
56
. The base member
55
is provided with a support section
55
-
1
on which the FFC
52
is to be placed, a slit
55
-
3
formed in the support section
55
-
1
, and locating pins
55
-
2
.
Attachment of the FFC
52
to the male connector housing
51
is performed by the following operations. Namely, the extremity of the FFC
52
is inserted into the slit
55
-
3
of the base member
55
, and the locating pins
55
-
2
are fitted into holes
52
-
1
of the FFC
52
.
Subsequently, the locating pins
55
-
2
of the base member
55
are fitted into holes
56
-
1
of the fixing member
56
. Engagement latches
56
-
2
provided at respective ends of the fixing member
56
are engaged with engagement sections
55
-
5
.
Reference numeral
53
designates a female connector housing which is formed from resin through injection molding. Contact terminals
54
are fitted into the female connector housing
53
.
The contact terminals
54
are produced from a brass plate through press-molding. A solder tail
54
-
2
is formed at one end of each contact terminal
54
and inserted into and soldered to a through hole formed in a circuit board or a like board (not shown).
Two rod-like sections
54
-
3
, each having a contact
54
-
1
, are formed at the other end of each contact terminal
54
.
By means of engaging the male connector housing
51
with the female connector housing
53
, lock projections
55
-
4
of the base member
55
are fixedly engaged with engagement recesses
53
-
1
of the female connector housing
53
. As a result, the rod-like sections
54
-
3
of the contact terminal
54
become elastically deformed, and the contacts
54
-
1
of the contact terminal
54
hold a conductor circuit section of the FFC
52
, thereby electrically constituting a predetermined electric circuit.
However, in relation to such a related-art male connector housing
51
, the lock projections
55
-
4
are formed on the base member
55
. Hence, when connected to the female connector housing
53
, the male connector
51
is susceptible to horizontal deflections. Engagement between the base member
55
and the FFC
52
is dependent primarily on the FFC
52
and the locating pins
55
-
2
of the base member
55
. Hence, if strong tension is applied to the FFC
52
, the FFC
52
is torn from the neighborhood of the holes
52
-
1
of the FFC
52
.
In order to prevent occurrence of a tear, a method of securing the FFC
52
on the base member
55
by means of an adhesive is also employed. However, the method poses a problem of occurrence of a drop in workability.
Another problem is that the engagement section
55
-
5
hinders disconnection of the FFC
52
after the male connector
51
has been engaged with the female connector housing
53
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in light of the foregoing problem and aims at providing a connector to be used for connecting an FFC, which connector has high connection reliability and improved ease of assembly.
A first configuration for achieving the object is characterized by a connector for connecting a flexible flat circuit (FFC) including a male connector housing having slits along which an FFC is inserted, and a retainer for fastening the FFC to the male connector housing, wherein the retainer is forced into an insertion side of the FFC and engaged with the male connector housing, thereby fastening the FFC between the retainer and the male connector housing in a folded manner.
According to a second configuration, the first configuration is characterized in that the slits are formed in a root of each of the guide ribs of the male connector housing.
A third configuration is characterized by a connector for connecting an flexible flat circuit (FFC) including a male connector housing having an insertion port along which an FFC is inserted, and a retaining member for fastening the FFC to the male connector housing, wherein the retaining member has slits along which an FFC is inserted and is inserted into and engaged with, at an inclination, the side of the male connector housing opposite to the side thereof into which the FFC is to be inserted, thereby fastening the FFC between the retaining member and the male connector housing in a folded manner.
According to a fourth configuration, the third configuration is characterized in that the retaining member can be retained in a temporarily-held state such that an insertion port into which the FFC is to be inserted becomes flush with the slits.
A fifth configuration is characterized by a connector for connecting an FFC in which an FFC is sandwiched between a male connector housing and a retainer, wherein the FFC is bent through 180° by the male connector housing and the retainer, to thereby form upper and lower surfaces, and an electrical connection section is formed on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively.
According to a sixth configuration, the fifth configuration is characterized in that the FFC is sandwiched between two large and small recessed sections and two large and small projecting sections of the retainer, and a bent portion of the FFC is formed at any point between the male connector housing and a portion of the retainer at which a change arises in the cross section of the retainer.
A seventh configuration of the present invention is characterized by a connector for connecting an FFC which includes a plug on which an FFC is to be provided and a housing to be fitted to the plug, wherein the plug has a boss section of small cross section and a seat section of large cross section, which are formed by means of a single upper surface and different lower surfaces of two stages; an engagement member for engaging the FFC is provided on the upper surface, and a projecting section and a recessed section are provided at an interface between the lower surfaces of two stages; an insertion hole and an opening section, which are to be fitted to the boss section and the seat section, are provided in the housing; and a recessed section and a projecting section are provided in a boundary section between the insertion hole and the opening section so as to come into contact with the projecting and recessed sections of the plug with the FFC sandwiched therebetween.
According to an eighth configuration of the present invention, the first configuration is further characterized in that a restriction member for restricting the FFC is provided on a lower surface of the seat section of the plug.
According to the invention, there is provided an electrical connection connector which constitutes a predetermined electrical circuit by means of fitting a male connector housing having an FFC attached thereto into a female connector housing having a contact terminal incorporated therein, wherein
the male connector housing has a storage section which is constituted of a retaining surface for retaining the FFC, a ceiling surface provided at a position above the retaining surface, and guide grooves provided on respective sides of the retaining surface;
an engagement projection for meshing with an engagement hole formed in the FFC is provided on the retaining surface; and
groove-like warpage spaces are formed in the ceiling surface located at a position above the engagement projection so as to extend from an insertion entrance for the FFC to an end of the
Itoh Nozomi
Itoh Shinji
Oyamada Shigeru
Yamaguchi Isao
Yamatani Eiji
Calsonic Kansei Corporation
Dinh Phuong K
Feild Lynn
Foley & Lardner
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