Abstract:
An connector ( 100 ) for a flexible printed circuit (FPC) includes a first housing ( 1 ) having a tongue plate ( 12 ), a pair of arms ( 13 ) disposed beside the tongue plate respectively, and retention spaces ( 16 ) defined between the tongue plate and each arm; a second housing ( 4 ) movably assembled to the first housing, and having two opposite sidewalls ( 45 ) and a bottom wall between the sidewalls, the bottom wall facing the tongue plate to form a cavity therebetween for receiving the FPC ( 6 ), the sidewall configured to slide into the retention space to be retained therein with an upper surface and an under surface thereof exposed to exterior; and terminals arranged in the cavity to engage with the FPC.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for a sheet-like connection member such as a flexible printed circuit or cable (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC) and so forth. All of these cables and circuit will be generally referred to as “FPC”. The instant application relates to a contemporaneously filed application having the same title, the same applicant and the same assignee with the invention. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,845 discloses a connector for a FPC comprising a stationary housing defining a cavity with an insertion port through which the FPC is inserted into the cavity; metal terminals mounted on the housing and inserted into the cavity; and a slide housing displaceable relative to the housing between a completely-retained position and a provisionally-retained position. When the FPC is to be inserted into the cavity, the slide housing is displaced to the provisionally-retained position to be held in a stand-by position outwardly of the insertion port. After the FPC is inserted into the cavity, the slide housing is also inserted into the cavity to the completely-retained position, to hold the metal terminals in contact with the FPC. In addition, the stationary housing has a pair of U-shaped frame respectively at its lengthwise sides. Each frame comprises an upper flange, a lower flange, and a guide groove between the upper flange and the lower flange for guidingly receiving an arm of the movable housing to retain the movable housing on the stationary housing. The groove has a vertical size between the upper flange and the lower flange substantially equal to the thickness of the arm. 
   As the requirement of minimization of electrical components is ever increasing, it is desired to decrease the thickness of the connector. However, for preventing the arm of the movable housing from snapping, we should not decrease the thickness of arm to achieve that purpose. Thereby we can only decrease the thickness of the upper flange and the lower flange, but which will weaken the flanges. Otherwise, such a connector requires the stationary housing to provide a sufficient size of height to define a cavity to receive the FPC and the slide housing. 
   Thereby, to meet the ever-increasing requirement of minimization of electrical components, a connector with a lower profile for FPC is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that is decreased in size of height for a FPC. 
   A second object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector, parts of which are firmly assembled against accidental separating. 
   Accordingly, to achieve the above object, a connector of present invention includes a first housing having a tongue plate, a pair of arms disposed beside the tongue plate respectively, and retention spaces defined between the tongue plate and each arm; a second housing movably assembled to the first housing, and having two opposite sidewalls and a bottom wall between the sidewalls, the bottom wall facing the tongue plate to form a cavity therebetween for receiving the FPC, the sidewall configured to slide into the retention space to be retained therein with an upper surface and an under surface thereof exposed to exterior; and terminals arranged in the cavity to engage with the FPC. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a connector of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the connector of  FIG. 1  but taken from reversed aspect; 
       FIG. 3  is an assembled view of the connector of the present invention, showing a movable housing in a provisionally-retained position relative to a stationary housing of the connector and a FPC being aslant inserted into the connector; 
       FIG. 4  is an assembled view of the connector of the present invention, showing the movable housing in a completely-retained position relative to the stationary housing of the connector, wherein the FPC has been urged to contact terminals in the stationary housing; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of  FIG. 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the connector  100  of the present invention comprises a stationary housing  1 , terminals  2  to be arranged in the stationary housing  1 , retainers  3 , and a movable housing  4 . 
   The stationary housing  1  has a lengthwise body portion  11 , a tongue plate  12  breadthwise extending from the body portion  11  with its upper surface flush with an upper surface  110  of the body portion  11 , and a pair of arms  13  oppositely beside the tongue plate  12  and extending from the body portion  11  with its upper surface and under surface respectively flush with the upper surface  110  and under surface  111  of the body portion  11 . The under surface  111  of the body portion  11  defines a suppositional mounting face  15  for mounting on a printed circuit board (PCB) (not shown). The tongue plate  12  has a first mating surface  120  facing the mounting face  15  with a vertical distance therebetween and defines a plurality of interior slots  141  on the first mating surface  120 . Each interior slot  141  extends breadthwise throughout the body portion  11  to communicating a respective exterior slot  142  defined along a vertical direction, to form a unitary aperture  14  to receive the terminals  2 . Additionally, the tongue plate  12  is trimmed to form a shortened edge  123 . The first mating surface  120  inclines at that end remote from the body portion  11  to form a first slant  125 , as best shown in  FIG. 5 . The arm  13  defines a recess  130  opening up and communicating with a space  16  between the arm  13  and the tongue plate  12 . 
   The terminal  2  comprises a retention portion  21 , an elastic arm  22  extending from one end of the retention portion  21 , a solder tail  23  and a stop tail  24  respectively extending down and up from the other end of the retention portion  21 . The elastic arm  22  has a contact portion  221  at the end thereof. The retention portion  21  has a retain leg  211  protruding downwards to be retained in the body portion  11  of the stationary housing  1 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 5  together, the terminal  2  is inserted into the aperture  14  from the exterior slot  142  with its elastic arm  22  received in the interior slot  141  and protruding towards the mounting face  15 . The stop tail  24  is blocked in the exterior slot to stop the terminal  2  from moving ahead. The solder tail  23  is to be soldered to the PCB. 
   The retainers  3  each comprise an elbow  31  to be soldered to the PCB, and a leg  32  to be fixed into a hole  112  in the stationary housing  1  adjacent to the outside of the arm  13  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). Thus the retainers  3  retain stationary housing  1  to the PCB to prevent the tongue plate  12  thereof from turning up during insertion of a FPC or the movable housing  4 . 
   The movable housing  4  being of a “T” shape comprises a lengthwise body portion  41  and a mating portion  42  perpendicularly extending from the body portion  41 , and is cut from an upper surface  40  thereof to define a passage  43  therein extending along a breadthwise direction throughout the body portion  41  and the mating portion  42 . That bottom surface  44  of the passage  43  functions as a second mating surface and sidewalls  45  of the passage  43  function as slide legs. The second mating surface  44  declines at that end remote from the body portion  41  to form a second slant  441 . Each slide leg  45  has a first slide block  451  and a second slide block  452  spaced protruding from its outer side, and defines a notch  453  by its inner side to engage the shortened edge  123  while the slide leg  45  is sliding into the space  16  of the stationary housing  1 . 
   The movable housing  4  is assembled to the stationary housing  1  with an under surface  46  thereof sliding along the mounting face  15 . Meanwhile the slide leg  45  slides into the space  16  with the slide blocks  451 , 452  thereof being forced into the recess  130  in succession, and the notch  453  thereof fittingly engaging the shortened edge  123 . Thus the slide blocks  451 , 452  are hold in the recess  130  by a bottom flange  131  thereof, to prevent the movable housing  4  from dropping down. The engagement of the notch  453  and the shortened edge  123  stops the movable housing  4  from moving up, thereby to keep a space between first mating surface  120  and the second mating surface  44  to form a cavity for receive the FPC. Otherwise, as the slide blocks  451 , 452  are hold in the recess  130 , and are stopped from sidewalking by a side flange  132  thereof, from overly advancing by the body portion  11  exposed in the recess  130  and acting as an end flange, and from withdrawing by another end flange  133  thereof, the slide leg  42  therefore is retained in the space  16 . 
   The movable housing  4  has a size of height equal to that of the stationary housing  1  as a whole. Thus the slide leg  45  in the space  16  is upwards and downwards exposed to exterior, making the upper surface and the under surface of the movable housing  4  be flush with that of the stationary housing  1 , as shown in  FIG. 3  or  4 . That effectively retrenches the whole height of the connector  100 . Again, since the PCB is instead of a bottom wall of the stationary housing  1  to form a room for receiving the FPC  6  and the movable housing  4  together with the tongue plate  12 , a height size of the bottom wall is saved on the stationary housing  1 , which also decreases the whole height of the stationary housing  1 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , when the first slide block  451  is forced into the recess  451  but the second slide block  452  is still left out, the movable housing  4  is located in a provisionally-retained position relative to the stationary housing  1 . At this time, the second slant  441  of the second mating surface  44  is brought into being parallel to the first slant  125  of the first mating surface  120  to form a slantwise insertion-port for guiding a FPC  6  to enter into the cavity between the first mating surface  120  and the second mating surface  44 . Thus the FPC  6  is aslant inserted through the insertion-port with a zero insertion force. As a result of the insertion of the movable housing  4  or the FPC  6 , the tongue plate  12  of the stationary housing  1  would be turned up if the stationary housing  1  is attached to the PCB only by the terminals  2  therein being soldered to the PCB. However, the existence of the retainers  3  further retains stationary housing  1  to the PCB against turning up of the tongue plate  12 . 
   After the FPC  6  is inserted into the cavity, the movable housing  4  is further inserted towards the stationary housing  1 , and the second slide block  452  is also forced into the recess  130 . Now the movable housing  4  is in a completely-retained position, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . The second mating surface  44  of the advancing movable housing  4  urges the FPC  6  to rotate from the slanting state to a flat state to tightly contact the contact portions  221  of the terminals  2 . That ensures electrical connection between conductors of the FPC  6  and the terminals  2 . 
   Therefore, by such a design, an electrical connector with a lower profile for FPC is provided. However, the disclosure is illustrative only, changes may be made in detail, especially in matter of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention.