Electrical connectors – Including or for use with tape cable – With mating connection region formed by bared cable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-05
2003-12-30
Vu, Hien (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with tape cable
With mating connection region formed by bared cable
49
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669503
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a connector for connecting an object such as a circuit board called a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and a cable called a flexible flat cable (FFC).
At first referring to
FIGS. 1A
to
1
C, description will be made of a conventional technique (hereinafter referred to as a “first conventional technique”) disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-299153 (JP 2000-299153 A).
As illustrated in
FIG. 1B
, a connector
11
comprises a connector housing
12
attached to a printed wiring board by soldering or the like, a connector locking portion
13
having one end pivotably supported by the connector housing
12
and the other end rotatable in directions X and Y, and a pair of connector locking members
14
protruding from the other end of the connector locking portion
13
at opposite sides thereof. As illustrated in
FIG. 1C
, a FFC
16
comprises a cable body
17
, a cable connecting portion
18
formed at an end of the cable body
17
, and a cable locking protrusion
19
formed at a rear part of the cable connecting portion
18
. The cable locking protrusion
19
has a trapezoidal shape as a whole with a pair of triangular portions protruding laterally outward from the cable body
17
at opposite sides thereof.
Description will be made of a method of connecting the connector
11
and the FFC
16
.
At first, the connector locking portion
13
of the connector
11
is rotated in the direction X to be put into an opened state, as illustrated in FIG.
1
B. Next, the cable connecting portion
18
of the FFC
16
is connected to a connection terminal formed between the connector housing
12
and the connector locking portion
13
. It is noted here that the connector
11
and the FFC
16
is connected when the cable connecting portion
18
is completely inserted into the connector
11
to reach a possible innermost position. If the cable connecting portion
18
is not completely inserted into the connector
11
and does not reach the innermost position, i.e., if the cable connecting portion
18
is in a semi-inserted state, the connector
11
is not connected to the FFC
16
.
Subsequently, the connector locking portion
13
is rotated in the direction Y to a closed state, as illustrated in FIG.
1
A. As a consequence, the connector
11
and the FFC
16
are fixed and the connection therebetween is completed. At this time, if the cable connecting portion
18
is connected to the connection terminal, the connector locking portion
13
can be closed and the connector locking members
14
are engaged with a bottom edge of the cable locking protrusion
19
at opposite sides thereof. Therefore, even if the FFC
16
is applied with an unexpected force, the FFC
16
is not released from the connector
11
. On the other hand, if the cable connecting portion
18
is not connected to the connection terminal, the connector locking members
14
are brought into contact with upper surfaces of the triangular portions at the opposite sides of the cable locking protrusion
19
when the connector locking portion
13
is rotated towards the closed state. Thus, in the semi-inserted state, the connector locking portion
13
can not be closed.
In the first conventional technique, however, it is impossible to correct the semi-inserted state into a completely-inserted state although the completely-inserted state can be confirmed. Furthermore, it is impossible to protect a forward end portion of the FFC
16
from an unexpected external force.
Next referring to
FIG. 2
, description will be made of another conventional technique (hereinafter referred to as a “second conventional technique”) disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No.19978/1995 (JP 7-19978 U).
A connector
21
comprises a housing
22
and a locking member
23
. The housing
22
is provided with an opening
22
a
and an internal cavity
22
b
. The housing
22
holds a plurality of contacts
24
having one ends protruding into the internal cavity
22
b
and the other ends protruding outward.
The locking member
23
has a forward end provided with a ridge portion
23
a
and a rear end provided with a pair of pressing portions
23
b
formed at opposite sides thereof to protrude outward in a widthwise direction.
An FPC
26
comprises a base film
26
a
, a plurality of lead wires
26
b
formed on the base film
26
a
and arranged in parallel to one another, a connecting end
26
c
formed at one end thereof, an overcoat layer
26
d
covering the lead wires
26
b
except the connecting end
26
c
, a reinforcing plate
26
e
adhered to a back surface of the base film
26
a
to reinforce the connecting end
26
c
, and a pair of widthwise protrusions
26
f
formed at opposite sides in the vicinity of the connecting end
26
c.
Description will be made of a method of connecting the connector
21
and the FPC
26
.
At first, the connecting end
26
c
of the FPC
26
is inserted into the internal cavity
22
b
until the widthwise protrusions
26
f
are brought into contact with the housing
22
. Next, the locking member
23
is inserted into the internal cavity
22
b
of the housing
22
along a rear surface of the FPC
26
. In this event, the ridge portion
23
a
of the locking member
23
brings the lead wires
26
b
into press contact with the one ends of the contacts
24
through the reinforcing plate
26
e
and the base film
26
a
. The pressing portions
23
b
of the locking portion
23
press the widthwise protrusions
26
f
of the FPC
26
. As a consequence, the FPC
26
is forced into the housing
22
so that the FPC
26
is connected to the connector
21
.
In the second conventional technique, however, it is impossible to protect a forward end portion of the FPC
26
from an unexpected external force although a semi-inserted state of the FPC
26
inserted into the connector
21
hardly occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a connector capable of automatically correcting a semi-inserted state of an object to be connected and protecting a forward end portion of the object from an unexpected external force.
Other objects of the this invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to this invention, there is provided a connector adapted to be connected to an object having a pair of protruding portions protruding reverse to each other in a first direction. The connector comprises a housing for guiding the object to an inserted position in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a contact held by the housing, and an actuator movable in a predetermined direction with respect to the housing so as to bring the object into press contact with the contact. The housing has a pair of receiving portions for receiving the protruding portions, respectively. The actuator has a pair of cover portions to face the receiving portions and to cover the protruding portions, respectively, when the object is brought into press contact with the contact. The cover portions respectively have slant surfaces to be engaged with the protruding portions of the object, when the object is located at a position deviated from the inserted position, to force the object towards the inserted position following the movement of the actuator to bring the object into press contact with the contact.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5842883 (1998-12-01), Igarashi et al.
patent: 6056572 (2000-05-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 6224418 (2001-05-01), Miura et al.
patent: 6293818 (2001-09-01), Kim et al.
patent: 6352442 (2002-03-01), Kudo
patent: 7-19978 (1995-04-01), None
patent: 2000-299153 (2000-10-01), None
Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited
Michael Best & Friedrich LLC
Vu Hien
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