Abstract:
A positioning device of a thin, low profile, connector is constituted of a chassis, having a terminal receiver and a lid set on the terminal receiver, wherein a base of the chassis comprises a plurality of terminals penetrated there-through, and the base comprises a sidewall at two sides thereof, and wherein said sidewall has a track for fitting the lid. A buckling element is fitted in the track of the sidewalls of the base such that the buckling element can slide along the track, and wherein said buckling element can support against a top surface of the lid for fitting the lid onto the base.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0000]    
       
         
           
              1. The field of the invention  
           
         
       
     
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a positioning device of a thin connector, and more particularly to a positioning device wherein a lid disposed between two inner sidewalls of a terminal receiver is securely positioned onto the terminal receiver for substantially securing the flexible (printed) circuit board there between.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     With the rapid development in computer and electronic technology, smaller, compact, thinner, portable and lighter electronic devices, such as the palm computer, notepad and notebook computer, are presently available and quite popular on the market. The latest electronic products, namely, cellular phone and PDA, are designed to fit the current requirement of being smaller, compact, thinner, portable and lighter. For meeting such requirements, the structure of the internal elements of the circuit board are required to be smaller and more precise, and also must be capable of reinforcing the structural characteristics, especially, a thin connector, for example, a FPC, flexible printed circuit, connector with a 0.3 pitch has been developed. However the lid and the chassis of FPC connector are small, thin and delicate. When such thin, low profile, FPC connector is applied to a circuit board, the thin FPC connector and other electronic devices on the circuit board can easily get damaged due to the external impact while disassembling. Referring to  FIGS. 8, 9 ,  10  and  11 , an elevational view of before and after assembling of a conventional connector, and a sectional side view of before and after assembling of the conventional connector, are shown. As shown, the tongue B positioned in the groove A 2  of the base A is pulled out, and then the flexible circuit board D is pushed into the groove A 2  of the base A until the flexible circuit board D for electrically contacting the flexible circuit board D with the terminals C. Next, the tongue B is pushed back into the groove A 2  to fit the two suspended arms B 1  of the tongue B into the track A 1  of the base A. Thus, the flexible circuit board D is clamped tightly between the terminals C and the tongue B and the assembly is completed. To remove the flexible circuit board D, the tongue B is pulled out. However, such a conventional connector has several defects, for example:  
         [0005]     1. The space occupied on the motherboard is relatively large then the industrials expect, and this needs to be improved.  
         [0006]     2. Because the conventional connector needs a track for pushing the tongue into the groove, and an isolation support for supporting the terminals, therefore the profile is difficult to be reduced.  
         [0007]     3. The flexible circuit board is inserted into the connector from the edge, and it would be difficult if there are lots of components closed to the connector, but it happens for the electrical devices were minimized.  
         [0008]     Referring to  FIG. 12 , an elevational view of another conventional connector is shown. As shown, the lid E comprises two arms E 1  having a protruding axle E 11  outward respectively, and the axles E 11  are adapted to be disposed and slid-able in the axial holes F 3 , formed at two ends of the case F 2  of the connector F. During pivoting the lid E to the locked position form the opening position, through the closed position, the arm E 1  is pivoted downward into the groove F 4  and the lid E is pushed backward to let two supporting plates E 2 , protruding from the lid E, fitted in the positioning groove F 12 , formed abut two ends of a groove F 11 , exposing a part of terminals for electrical contact with the flexible printed circuit G. Therefore, when placing the flexible printed circuit G into the groove F 11  of the base F 1  in the connector F, the arms E 1  can be buckled into the groove F 4  by two supporting plate E 2 , locked into the positioning groove F 12  at the locked position of the lid E. However, there are at least the following defects in the conventional connected described above.  
         [0009]     1. The lid E slides in the axial hole F 3  by the axles E 11  if the position of the axles E 11  in the axial hole F 3  is not proper, and the lid E is unable to be pivoted from the opening position, and the supporting plates E 2  of the lid E will not be able to reach the positioning groove F 12  of the connector F, thus the lid E can not be locked.  
         [0010]     2. For locking the lid E to the locked position, the supporting plates E 2  have to be pushed into the positioning groove F 12 , if the lid E is not pivoted to the proper position, the supporting plates E 2  will get out of shape due to being pressed on the connector F.  
         [0011]     Therefore, to solve the above defects of the conventional connectors is an important issue for the manufacturer in the field.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     According to an aspect of the present invention, the occupation for the thing, low profile, connector should be reduced.  
         [0013]     According to another aspect of the present invention, the flexible printed circuit board could be assembled into the thin, low profile, connector by an easy and reliable assembling method.  
         [0014]     To archive the said aspects, the thin, low profile, connector comprising a chassis, having a terminal receiver, for receiving terminals, and a lid pivoted in the terminal receiver, for pushing a flexible printed circuit board against the terminals, and a buckling element, locking the lid at an predetermined position. Therefore, a flexible printed circuit board inserted in the present invention, the lid was pivoted, pushing the flexible printed circuit board against the terminals in the terminal receiver, and the buckling element was moved for locking the lid at a particular attitude, pushing the flexible printed circuit board against the terminals in the terminal receiver. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0015]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with the following accompanying drawings.  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an elevational view of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is an elevational view of a buckling element buckled in a position on a lid of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a side view showing while pushing the buckling element onto a lid of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side view showing after pushing the buckling element onto a lid of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is an elevational view of the buckling element buckled onto another position of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a connector according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is an elevational view showing before assembly of a conventional connector.  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is an elevational view showing after assembly of the conventional connector.  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is a sectional side view showing before assembly of the conventional connector.  
         [0026]      FIG. 11  is a sectional side view showing after assembly of the conventional connector.  
         [0027]      FIG. 12  is an elevational view of another conventional connector. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an exploded view and an elevational view of a connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are respectively shown. The connector of the present invention comprises a chassis  1  and a buckling element  2 , slid-ably disposed on the chassis  1 .  
         [0029]     The chassis  1  has a terminal receiver  11  and a lid  12  set on the terminal receiver  11 . The terminal receiver  11  has a base  111  having a plurality of terminals  112  penetrated there-through. Each of the two opposite ends of the base  111  has a sidewall  113 , with a track  1131  and a supporting arm  1133 , with an axial hole  1132 , in the terminal receiver  11 .  
         [0030]     A lid  12  having two sides, each protruding an axle  121  outward, and a top surface  122  with an slope  1221  and a supporting face  1222 , a highest surface of the top surface  122  of the lid  12  and abut an end of the slope  1221 . The two axles are disposed in each axial hole  1132  of the supporting arms  1133 , making the lid  12  pivotable in the terminal receiver  11 . It is obvious for anyone who is skilled in the art to modify this design by omitting the supporting arms  1133  and apply axial holes  1132  to the inner surface of the two side walls  113  and this modify shall be read as an equivalent embodiment of this prefer embodiment.  
         [0031]     There are terminals  112 , disposed through the base  111 , having plurality of terminals  112  thereon extending from a frontal portion or the rear portion penetrating through the base  111 , wherein the terminals  112  and the base  111  can be fitted, attached, buckled or integrally formed as a unit. The terminal  112  has a welding end  1121  extending at the frontal portion of the base  111  and an adapting end  1122  protruding upward for electrical connecting the circuit contact surface  31  of the flexible circuit board  3 .  
         [0032]     The buckling element  2  having a base portion  21  with two buckling portions  22 , bent downwardly at each end, and the distal ends of the buckling portions  22  are buckles  221 , curved toward each other. The base portion  21  of the buckling element  2  was slid-able on top surface  122  of the lid  12 , and two buckles  221  are disposed in the tracks  1131  of the two sidewalls  113  and the buckling element  2  is capable for sliding along the track  1131  of the two sidewalls  113  by the buckling portion  22  formed at the two ends.  
         [0033]     Pivoting the lid  2  on, the flexible circuit board  3  can be placed between the two sidewalls  113 , and the circuit contact faces  31  of the flexible circuit board  3  are set on the adapting end  1122  of the terminals  112  for making the electrical contact, pivoting the lid  12  off and pushing the base portion  21  of the buckling element  2  toward the supporting face  1222  of the lid  12  for locking the flexible circuit board  3  in the connector. The pressure applied to the top surface  122  of the lid  12  by the base portion  21  of the buckling element  2  is getting stronger during the base portion  21  sliding along the slope  1221 , for the buckles  221  in the track  1131 , and becoming a constant after the base portion  21  of the buckling element  2  sliding over the slope  1221 .  
         [0034]     It is to be noted that the lid  12  will not interfere with the electrical connection of the flexible circuit board  3  and the plurality of terminals  112  directly and the flexible circuit board  3  is securely positioned and covered by the lid  12 .  
         [0035]     Now referring to  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5  and  6 , an elevational view of a buckling element buckled in a position on the lid of the connector, a side view showing while and after pushing the buckling element onto the lid, and an elevational view of the buckling element buckled onto another position of the connector, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention are respectively shown. After placing the flexible circuit board  3  onto the terminal receiver  11 , the lid  12 , between the two sidewalls  113  of the terminal receiver  11 , is pivoted to cover the flexible circuit board  3 , and the buckling element  2  is slid forward in the tracks  1131  of the two sidewalls  113 . Meanwhile, the base portion  21  of the buckling element  2  slides along the slope  1221  having a lower height towards a higher height, therefore the buckling element  2  can substantially press the lid  12  against the flexible circuit board  3  between the two sidewalls  113  to securely position the flexible circuit board  3  between the lid  12  and the terminal receiver  11  and also for preventing the lid  12  come loose.  
         [0036]     The above-mentioned slope  1221  of the top face  122  of the lid  12  has a supporting face  1222  on the upper portion for making the buckling element  2  to apply more pressure to making the lid  12  presses against the flexible circuit board  3  harder within the terminal receiver  11 . Therefore, the flexible circuit board  3  positioned between the terminal receivers  11  and pressed by the lid  12 , and the flexible circuit board  3  can be securely positioned, and the lid  12  can be substantially positioned over the terminal receiver  11  without having the risk of flinging up.  
         [0037]     Additionally, the terminal receiver  11 , the lid  12  of the chassis  1  and buckling element  2  are being guided by the slope  1221  of the lid  12 , wherein the buckling element  2  is stretched elastically to press against the slope  1221  by pushing sliding the buckling element  2  over the slope  1221 . The buckling element  2  can be made of resilient plastic or metallic material.  
         [0038]     The chassis  1  and the lid  12  need not be slidably engaged with each other, thus the terminal receiver  11  and the lid  12  will not rub against each other causing damage to each other.  
         [0039]     Furthermore,  FIGS. 1 and 7 , an exploded view of a connector according to a preferred embodiment and another preferred embodiment of the present invention respectively. As shown, the two sidewalls  113  of the terminal receiver  11  of the chassis  1  have the supporting arms  1133  that can be made of metallic and buckled to the terminal receiver  11  between two sidewalls  113 , wherein the supporting arms  1133  can be tighten, connected, welded or made as an integral unit with the terminal receiver  11 . And by using the supporting arm  1133  the terminal receiver  11  can be connected to the ground.  
         [0040]     The present invention has a lid and a buckling element which is slid-ably set over the terminal receiver and the flexible circuit board can be clamped in the terminal receiver by the lid and the base. By sliding the buckling element on the lid, the lid is pressed down to the flexible circuit board to securely position the flexible circuit board between the lid and the terminal receiver.  
         [0041]     While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations in which fall within the spirit and scope of the included claims. All matters set forth herein or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting sense.