Electrical connectors – Including or for use with tape cable – Including connector housing surrounding cable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-26
2002-07-23
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with tape cable
Including connector housing surrounding cable
C439S456000, C439S701000, C439S494000, C439S498000, C439S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06422896
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for a flat circuit member. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flat circuit member connector which can be positively connected to conductor portions of a flat circuit member such, for example as a ribbon cable, an FFC (i.e., Flexible Flat Circuit) and an FPC (i.e., Flexible Printed Circuit).
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-49441, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
One example of conventional connectors for connection to a flat circuit member, such as a ribbon cable, an FFC and an FPC, is “Flat Cable Connection Connector” disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 9-73958. This conventional example will now be described with reference to FIG.
5
.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the flat cable connection connector
60
comprises a housing
61
, having an opening
65
for receiving a distal end portion of an FPC cable as a flat circuit member, contacts
66
which are received in the opening
65
so as to be pressed against an electric circuit pattern (not shown) on the FPC cable
62
, and a slider portion
67
of metal provided in opposed relation to the contacts
66
. An insulating abutment portion
68
for preventing leakage of the electric circuit pattern is mounted on the slider portion
67
.
The FPC cable
62
has the electric circuit pattern formed on a lower surface thereof, and also has a plate-like reinforcing member
63
mounted on an upper surface thereof at the distal end portion thereof.
For connecting the FPC cable
62
to the flat cable connection connector
60
, the FPC cable
62
is inserted into the opening
65
in the housing
61
while sliding the plate-like reinforcing member
63
along the slider portion
67
. As a result, the FPC cable
62
is held between the slider portion
67
and the contacts
66
, and a contact portion
66
a
of each contact
66
is held in contact with the electric circuit pattern on the FPC cable
62
.
In the above conventional example, however, the FPC cable
62
is held between the slider portion
67
and the contacts
66
along the direction of the thickness of this cable, and by doing so, the FPC cable
62
is fixed to the housing
61
, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that when the FPC cable
62
is pulled in the longitudinal direction (as indicated by an arrow in FIG.
5
), the FPC cable
62
can be easily disengaged from the opening
65
.
And besides, in the above conventional example, the slider portion
67
is needed for holding the FPC cable
62
, and also the insulating abutment portion
68
is needed for preventing the leakage of the electric circuit pattern. Therefore, the number of the component parts is large, which has invited a problem that the production cost of the flat cable connection connector
60
is high.
Furthermore, in the above conventional example, the contact point of the contact portion
66
a
of the contact
66
for contact with the electric circuit pattern is defined by a shearing surface formed by pressing, and therefore the value of the electric resistance relative to the electric circuit pattern on the FPC cable
62
is not constant under severe conditions in which severe vibrations are applied to the connector, and this invites a problem that the incomplete connection is liable to occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flat circuit member connector which can be positively connected to a flat circuit member, and in which the number of component parts can be reduced, and the electric resistance value can be obtained in a stable manner.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector which comprises a housing, at least one terminal receivable in the housing, the terminal having a contact surface extended in a thickness direction thereof, and a fixing mechanism fixable to the housing, wherein when the fixing mechanism is fixed to the housing so that a flat circuit member having a conductor portion is held between the housing in which the terminal is received and the fixing mechanism, the fixing mechanism bends a part of the flat circuit member in a thickness direction thereof to form a bent portion thereon, and presses the bent portion of the flat circuit member against the contact surface of the terminal so that the terminal is electrically connected to the conductor portion of the flat circuit member.
Examples of the flat circuit member include a ribbon cable, an FFC and an FPC. In the case where a ribbon cable is used as the flat circuit member, insulating layers of wires are uniformly peeled, and by doing so, the flat circuit member connector of the present invention can be adopted.
The contact surface can be formed, for example, by bending a predetermined portion of the terminal into a substantially convex shape, or by bending an end portion of the terminal into a substantially L-shape in the direction of the thickness of the terminal.
In the case where the predetermined portion of the terminal is bent into a substantially convex shape to form the contact surface, a pair of opposed contact surfaces may be formed by bending two portions of the terminal spaced a predetermined distance from each other in the longitudinal direction.
In the case where the terminal has the pair of opposed contact surfaces, the bent portion, formed by bending an end portion or an intermediate portion of the flat circuit member into a substantially convex shape in such a manner that the surface of the flat circuit member, on which the conductor portions are formed, projects toward the housing, is inserted between the two contact surfaces, and by doing so, each conductor portion of the flat circuit member is held in surface-to-surface contact with each contact surface of the corresponding terminal.
In the case where the terminal has the pair of opposed contact surfaces, the fixing mechanism can have a bar-like member for fitting into the space between the pair of contact surfaces through the flat circuit member, and in this case this bar-like member can be formed integrally with a rear holder, engageable with the housing, so that the bar-like member can be held in a fitted condition.
In the flat circuit member connector of this construction, the flat circuit member is fixed in such a manner that the bent portion of the flat circuit member is held in press-contact with the contact surface of the terminal extending in the direction of the thickness thereof, and therefore the flat circuit member will not be easily disengaged from the housing even when it is pulled in the longitudinal direction, and the housing can be positively kept connected to the flat circuit member.
In the flat circuit member connector, the flat circuit member is fixed by the fixing mechanism in such a manner that the bent portion of the flat circuit member is held in press-contact with the contact surface, and thus the fixing is achieved with this very simple construction. Therefore, as compared with the conventional construction, the number of the component parts is reduced, and the production cost can be reduced.
And besides, in this flat circuit member connector, each terminal is disposed in surface-to-surface contact with the corresponding conductor portion of the flat circuit member through the contact surface, and therefore the electric resistance value can be obtained in a stable manner even under severe conditions in which severe vibrations are applied to the connector, and this eliminates the possibility of incomplete connection as encountered in the conventional construction.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the fixing mechanism includes a recess portion formed in the housing so that the contact surface of the terminal is exposed to an exterior through the recess portion, and a lid member fittable
Aoki Hiroshi
Kondo Hiroki
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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