Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-13
2002-03-12
Gandhi, Jayprakash N. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C439S067000, C439S492000, C361S802000, C361S807000, C235S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06356449
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing device using a recording/reproducing disk such as a floppy disk and a hard disk and, more particularly, to a structure for mounting a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) for transmitting a signal to a magnetic head, and a recording/reproducing device using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A recording/reproducing device using a conventional structure for installing an FPC, as shown in
FIG. 11
, is provided with a square through hole
51
c
in the corner section of a chassis
51
made of a metal plate. Below the chassis
51
, a printed circuit board
52
is attached to partly cover the underside thereof.
The printed circuit board
52
has a couple of long mounting holes
52
a
in the corner section. On the underside of the printed circuit board
52
, a circuit pattern
52
b
(
FIG. 12
) is provided. On the chassis
51
, a head device
55
is located for writing an information signal into, or reading an information signal from, an unillustrated magnetic disk. The head device
55
has a carriage
56
which can reciprocate in the direction (in the direction of the arrow A in the drawing) of magnetic disk insertion or removal. The carriage
56
is comprised of a head mounting base
56
a
located below, and an upwardly slidable head support arm
57
. At the forward end of the head mounting base
56
a
and the head support arm
57
, a pair of magnetic head
58
are mounted in mutually opposite positions.
The pair of magnetic heads
58
are connected with one end of the FPC's
60
and
61
; the other ends of the FPC's
60
and
61
are free ends.
On the free end side of the FPC's
60
and
61
, terminal portion
60
a
and
61
a
are formed in an exposed state.
An FPC holder
62
is a member made of a resin having a U-shaped cross section, and is provided with lower end portions
62
b
and
62
c
projecting downwardly for insertion into the through hole
51
a
of the chassis
51
.
In the FPC's
60
and
61
connected to the pair of magnetic head
58
, the terminal portions
60
a
and
61
a
on the free end side thereof are attached to the FPC holder
62
, and fitted to the mounting hole
52
a
of the printed circuit board
52
, being connected to the circuit pattern
52
b
(FIG.
12
). As shown in
FIG. 12
, the FPC holder
62
fitted with a couple of FPC's
60
and
61
is inserted through the through hole
51
a
of the chassis
51
, with the lower end portions
62
b
and
62
c
of the FPC holder
62
inserted in the mounting hole
52
a
of the printed circuit board
52
.
The terminal portions
60
a
and
61
a
of the FPC's
60
and
61
and the circuit pattern
52
b
on the printed circuit board
52
are fixedly attached and electrically conducted by solder
63
.
The recording/reproducing device
50
using the mounting structure of the FPC's
60
and
61
has a drawing: if the FPC holder
62
has an excess play when the FPC's
60
and
61
are soldered to the printed circuit board, either one or both of the terminal portions
60
a
and
61
a
of the FPC's
60
and
61
will fail to deviate from the position of the circuit pattern
52
b
of the printed circuit board
52
, resulting in defective soldering of both or either one of the FPC's
60
and
61
.
As an example of improvement effected to solve the problem of defective soldering, a recording/reproducing device
70
using the FPC mounting structure proposed by the applicant will be described with reference to
FIGS. 13 and 14
.
The printed circuit board
72
is provided with long mounting holes
72
a
,
72
a
formed as shown in FIG.
13
.
The same number of guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
as the number of the FPC holders
82
are formed mutually adjacently into an about long-hole shape.
The chassis
51
has support projections
51
c
and
51
e
formed by cutting and raising a part of the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
. These support projections
51
c
and
51
e
are formed in mutually deviated positions so that extensions prior to cutting and raising will not be overlapped with each other.
On the forward end of FPC's
80
and
81
a plurality of terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
formed of a copper foil or other are exposed on the lower side. On the upper side of the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
, a circuit pattern extended into the base sections
80
c
and
81
c
of the FPC's
80
and
81
is routed in a laminate shape. The end portion on the base sections
80
c and
81
c
side of the FPC's
80
and
81
is connected to the magnetic head
58
.
On the back side of the FPC's
80
and
81
where the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
are not exposed, a double-faced adhesive tape is affixed, by which the FPC's
80
and
81
are attached to a later-described FPC holder
82
.
The FPC holder
82
is a resinous member generally formed in a flat-plate shape. At the center of its one side, an approximately rectangular projecting portion
82
a
is formed projecting outwardly. The lower part of the projecting portion
82
a
is tapered. The lower end portion
82
b
is disposed to the lower portion, and terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
of the FPC's
80
and
81
are attached.
On the lower portion of the FPC holder
82
, in
FIG. 13
, first and second arm portions
82
d
and
82
e
are extended from the right and left sides in the direction of a central projecting portion
82
a.
In the drawing, on the right side surface of the FPC holder
82
an elastically deformable hook-shaped retaining portion
82
g
is formed.
Furthermore, at the lower corners of the FPC holder
82
, guide portions
82
h
and
82
j
are formed for positioning the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
of the FPC's
80
and
81
. The terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
positioned by the guide portions
82
h
and
82
j
are attached by a double-faced adhesive tape on the FPC holder
82
.
The forward end of the FPC's
80
and
81
is bonded on the FPC holder
82
. To attach this FPC holder
82
to the printed circuit board
72
, the lower end portion
82
b
of the FPC holder
82
is inserted into the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
of the chassis
51
, and the portion between the first and second arm portions
82
d
and
82
e
is fitted on the support projections
51
c
and
51
e
. And also the lower end portion
82
b
of the FPC holder
82
and the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
are inserted in position in the mounting hole
72
a
of the printed circuit board
72
, thereby aligning the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
with the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board
72
.
The guide portions
82
h
and
82
j
of the FPC holder
82
are brought into contact with the surface of the printed circuit board
72
, so that the insertion of the FPC holder
82
into the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
and the mounting hole
72
a
stops thereat.
At this time, the retaining portions
82
g
,
82
g
are snapped into engagement with the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
. The FPC holder
82
is fixedly retained in the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b.
With the FPC holder
82
thus snapped into engagement with the guide holes
51
a
and
51
b
, the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
of the FPC's
80
and
81
protruding out of mounting hole
72
a
of the printed circuit board
72
and the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board
72
are connected by solder
63
, to thereby electrically conduct the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
and the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board
72
, thus assembling the mounting structure of the FPC's
80
and
81
.
In the recording/reproducing device
70
using the FPC
80
and
81
mounting structure proposed, there will be left a 0.1 mm or larger clearance between the FPC holder
82
and the terminal portions
80
a
and
81
a
located in the mounting hole
72
a
of the printed circuit board
72
. The solder
63
will flow into this clearance, failing in substantially securely attaching to a pr
Ito Mutsumi
Nakagawa Takashi
Sasaki Shinkichi
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Gandhi Jayprakash N.
Phan Thanh S
LandOfFree
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