Connector for flexible printed circuit board

A connector for FPC board includes an insulating housing and a cover plate. The insulating housing has a receiving space for receiving an FPC board, a plurality of passageways, and two guiding channels. A plurality of terminals is received in the corresponding passageways. Each terminal has a contact portion and a pressing portion. The cover plate has two rotational shafts put into the corresponding guiding channels, whereby the two rotational shafts are rotatable in and slidable along the guiding channels. When the cover plate is rotated to a horizontal position, the rear end of the cover plate lies to the front of the pressing portions of the terminals. Then, when the rotational shafts together with the cover plate are horizontally slid from front to rear, the cover plate is inserted between the pressing portions and the FPC board, and the pressing portions press the cover plate against the FPC board, and the cover plate presses the FPC board against the contact portions of the terminals. Therefore the FPC board is retained stably in the connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an electrical connector for terminating a flexible printed circuit board or the like.

2. The Related Art

Nowadays, Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) boards are widely used in many kinds of electronic devices for their high flexibility and thin structure. Accordingly, connectors for connecting the FPC boards to other electrical components of the electronic devices are mass-employed.

One example of the connectors of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2002/0106924 published on Aug. 8, 2002. The connector includes contacts each having a contact portion to be brought into contact with the flexible printed circuit board or flexible flat cable, a block for holding and fixing the contacts therein, and a slider mounted on the block. Two pivotal engagement recesses are formed on the opposite lateral sides of the block. Bearing portions are located in front of the pivotal engagement recesses. The slider comprises camshaft portions pivotally mounted in the pivotal engagement recesses to permit the slider to move pivotally and horizontally relative to the block and an urging portion causing the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) or flexible flat cable (FFC) to urge against contact portions of contacts. Each contact further comprises a guiding portion for guiding the movement of the slider.

In assembly, at first, open the slider and insert the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable between the contact portions and the guiding portions of the contacts. Then, rotate the slider to be closed. Under the engagement of the camshafts and the bearing portions and the guiding of the guiding portions of the contacts, the urging portion of the slider is rotated to a horizontal position and simultaneously move forward between the guiding portions and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. When the slider is rotated to a closed horizontal position, the urging portion of the slider is entirely inserted between the guiding portions and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. In the result, the guiding portions of the contacts prop downwardly the top surface of the slider and the slider prop downwardly the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable, therefore the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable is mechanically and electrically connected with the electrical connector.

In the assembly of the electrical connector, the urging portion of the slider tends to move rearward because the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable props the urging portions of the slider rearward. However, the bearing portions of the block restrain the camshaft portions from moving rearward, therefore the middle part of the urging portion is prone to be extracted out between the guiding portions of the contacts and the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable so that the urging portion can not effectively prop against the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable. As a result, the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable can not be retained reliably in the electrical connector.

Furthermore, the rotation of the slider and the horizontal movement of the slider happen on the same time, therefore the guiding portions of the contacts are prone to be fatigued for too seriously biased by the urging portion of the slider so that the guiding portions can not effectively prop against the urging portion of the slider, with the result that the external flexible printed circuit or flexible flat cable can not be retained stably and reliably.

Hence, an improved connector for connecting an external FPC board is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A major object of the present invention is to provide an FPC electrical connector for retaining an FPC board reliably.

The present invention provides a connector for receiving a flexible printed circuit board. The connector for flexible printed circuit board includes an insulating housing and a cover plate. The insulating housing has a receiving space opened to the front for an external flexible printed circuit board being horizontally inserted therein from front to rear. A plurality of passageways is defined in the insulating housing. Two guiding channels are disposed in two opposite sides of the insulating housing. A plurality of terminals is received in the corresponding passageways of the insulating housing. Each terminal has a contact portion and a pressing portion. The cover plate has two rotational shafts on two opposite sides thereof. The two rotational shafts are put into the corresponding guiding channels of the insulating housing, whereby the two rotational shafts are rotatable in and slidable along the guiding channels. When the cover plate is rotated to a horizontal position, the rear end of the cover plate lies to the front of the pressing portions of the terminals. Then, when the rotational shafts together with the cover plate are horizontally slid from front to rear, the cover plate is inserted between the pressing portions of the terminals and the flexible printed circuit board, and the pressing portions of the terminals press the cover plate against the flexible printed circuit board, and the cover plate presses the flexible printed circuit board against the contact portions of the terminals. Therefore the flexible printed circuit board is retained stably in the connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIG. 1, a connector100for FPC board comprises an insulating housing10with a plurality of terminals20and a pair of latches30, a cover plate40engaged with the insulating housing10.

The insulating housing10has a base plate11with a bottom plate12formed on the bottom thereof and a pair of sidewalls13formed on the opposite sides thereof. A receiving space14for accommodating an external FPC board (not shown) is defined between the base plate11and the bottom plate12. A pair of sliding recesses121is formed on the inner surfaces of the sidewalls13for receiving a pair of latches30therein. A pair of stops122is neighboring the pair of sliding recesses121. A plurality of lower passageways15and a plurality of upper passageways16are respectively disposed on the bottom plate12and the base plate11. The lower passageways15and the upper passageways16communicate with outside space and the receiving space14. A pair of guiding channel17, which communicates with the corresponding sliding recesses121and extends to the front surface of the stops122, are set on the corresponding sidewalls13.

Please further refer toFIG. 2. A soldering recess18is extended downwardly from the front end of the bottom of the corresponding guiding channel17. An engagement aperture19is extended backwardly from the back end of the corresponding guiding channel17.

Each terminal20comprises an upper portion21and a bottom portion22. The upper portion21has a portion used as a pressing portion23. The bottom portion22has a contact portion24at the free end thereof. Each latch30has an inserting portion31extended longitudinally. A blocking portion32and a soldering portion33are respectively upwardly and downwardly extended from the front end of the inserting portion31.

The cover plate40is flat. A pair of rotational shafts41extends from the opposite side surfaces of the cover plate40for being movably received in the guiding channels17. A pair of wedges42is formed on the nearly middle part of the opposite surfaces of the cover plate40. The cover plate40has a guiding recess43in the nearly middle part of the top and back of the cover plate40(as shown inFIG. 6).

Referring toFIG. 3, in assembly, the upper portion21and the bottom portion22of each terminal20are respectively received in the corresponding upper passageway16and the corresponding lower passageway15of the insulating housing10. The cover plate40is mounted on the insulating housing10with the rotational shafts41of the cover plate40received in the guiding channels17and the wedges42of the cover plate40wedged into the guiding channels17. The inserting portions31of the latches30are received in the corresponding engagement apertures19of the guiding channels17. The blocking portions32of the latches30enclose the guiding channels17of the insulating housing10to prevent the cover plate40from being disengaged with the insulating housing10. The soldering portions33of the latches30are accommodated in the soldering recesses18of the insulating housing10to be soldered with an outside circuit board (not shown).

Please refer toFIG. 3in conjunction withFIGS. 4,5and6. When the cover plate40is opened, an FPC board can be inserted, from front to rear, into the receiving space14and between the pressing portions23and the contact portions24of the terminals20. When the cover plate40is rotated in the arrow directed direction inFIG. 3to a horizontal position, as shown inFIG. 4, the cover plate40is closed in an initial closing position with the rear end of the cover plate40still lying to the front of, not under, the pressing portions23of the terminals20. Then push the cover plate40in the arrow directed direction inFIG. 4to make the rotational shafts41together with the cover plate40slide backwardly gradually along the guiding channel17of the insulating housing10till the cover plate40is stopped by the stops122of the insulating housing10. At this state, the cover plate40is closed in a final closing position as shown inFIG. 5. During moving the cover plate40backwardly, the guiding recess43of the cover plate40gradually guides the pressing portions23of the terminals20propping on the top of the cover plate40. Thus, in the final closing position, the cover plate40is inserted between the pressing portions23of the terminals20and the FPC board, and the pressing portions23press the cover plate40against the FPC board, and the cover plate40presses the FPC board against the contact portions24of the terminals20. Therefore, the FPC board is retained stably in the connector100.

As the above mentioned, when the cover plate40rotates to a horizontal, initial closing position, the rear of the cover plate40is in front of the front ends of the pressing portions23of the terminals20as there is enough movement space provided by the guiding channels17of the insulating housing10. Therefore, the opposite sides and the middle part of the cover plate40can then be inserted simultaneously and horizontally between the pressing portions23of the terminals20and the FPC board, whereby preventing the cover plate40from being extracted out. Furthermore, the pressing portions23only have tiny displacement in the vertical direction as the cover plate40is horizontally inserted under the pressing portions23of the terminals20, therefore such design will not fatigue the terminals20.

While the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be preferred embodiment thereof, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements. In addition, while the various elements of the disclosed invention are shown in various combinations and configurations, which are exemplary, other combinations and configurations, including more, less or only a single embodiment or element, are also within the spirit and scope of the invention.