FPC connector with built-in lock

An FPC connector (100) includes an insulative housing (1) which has a bottom wall (10) and a pair of end walls (12) thereby forming a mating room (15) with a mating opening (14) located at a front face thereof, a plurality of terminals (2) disposed within the housing and having a contacting portion (210) extending into the mating room and at least one positioning portion (18) substantially located at a corner of the mating opening (14) and partially located upon the bottom wall (10) with a cantilever-shaped configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an FPC connector, and more particularly, to an FPC connector with a built-in lock in which an inserted FPC can be securely locked therein and readily disengaged therefrom when needed.

2. Description of the Related Art

FPC is a medium used for data transmission between computers and the peripherals connected thereto. FPC typically has a plurality of conductors for transmitting signal. U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,083 issued to Masashi Seto on Dec. 19, 2000, discloses a conventional electrical connector mounted on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) for engaging with an FPC. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive terminals retained in the insulative housing across the connector along a width directrion, and an actuator moveably driven between an opened position and a closed position relative to the housing. The insulative housing has a mating space for receiving the FPC therein and a plurality of grooves in communicating with the mating space. Each of the terminals includes a contacting arm electrically connecting with the FPC and a retaining arm corresponding to the contacting arm, both of which extending towards the mating space and creating a gap thicker than a thickness of the FPC at between thereof. By this arrangement, the FPC can be easily inserted therein without any noticeable resistance. The actuator defines a driving portion at middle thereof for urging the FPC against the contacting arm and a pair of bosses detachably connected with the insulative housing at both ends thereof.

When the actuator is set at opened position, the driving portion is away from the mating space and will not exert a biasing force against the FPC inserted into the mating space. When the actuator is rotated and set to the closed position, said driving portion presses against the FPC to engage with the conductive terminal. The insulative housing has a pair of positioning portions integrally extending from both ends thereof for preventing the FPC from being removed away the electrical connector along a mating direction. The positioning portion has a triangle-shaped across section in the mating direction for guiding the insertion and pulling out of the FPC. However the FPC will easily shift upwardly and then readily being pulled away from the electrical connector easily if the actuator is set at opened position, because which is not secured by the positioning portion along a vertical direction perpendicular to the width direction.

Therefore, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the related arts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an FPC connector overcoming disadvantage of the FPC being easily and accidentally pulled away from the connector.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an insulative housing which has a bottom wall and a pair of end walls thereby forming a mating room with a mating opening located at a front face thereof, a plurality of terminals disposed within the housing and having a contacting portion extending into the mating room and at least one positioning portion substantially located at a corner of the mating opening and partially located upon the bottom wall with a cantilever-shaped configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, an electrical connector100for electrically connecting with a flexible printed circuit board (FPC)4includes an insulative housing1, a plurality of terminals2retained in the insulative housing across the electrical connector along a width direction, a pair of metal ears3each attached to both ends of the insulative housing.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the insulative housing1has a bottom wall10, a top wall11and a pair of end walls12integrally joining said two side walls, thereby forming a mating room15with a mating opening14located at a front face17thereof for receiving the FPC4therein. The mating room15has a floor formed by the bottom wall10and flushed to the mating opening14having a width. The insulative housing1has a plurality of upper terminal slots13aand lower terminal slots13bseparately disposed in the top wall11and the bottom wall10. The end wall12has a slot16for receiving the metal ear3.

Referring toFIGS. 3,4and5, the terminals2are forwardly and respectively inserted into the insulative housing from a rear side of insulative housing1opposite to the mating opening14. Each of the terminals2is defined with a body portion20, an upper arm21and a lower arm22both extending forwardly from the body portion20into the mating room15. The terminal2also forms a soldered portion202extending outwardly from the body portion20for being soldered onto a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

The upper arm21is attached into the upper terminal slot13aof the top wall11and has a first contacting portion210at a front end thereof which is closed to the mating opening14and protruding into the mating room15. The first contacting portion210is moveably disposed in the terminal slot13a. The lower arm22is received in the lower terminal slot13band includes a second contacting portion220at a front end thereof. The second contacting portion220is opposite to the first contacting portion210thereby creating a gap between the first contacting portions210and the second contacting portions220for receiving the FPC4. Because said gap is configured thinner than a thickness of the FPC4, such that the inserted FPC4can be readily inserted into the mating room15in a LIF manner and then sandwiched between of said two contacting portions210,220. The FPC4has a plurality of conductors40a,40barranged at both sides thereof, separately and electrically connecting with the contacting portions210,220of the terminal2for transmitting signal.

Referring toFIGS. 3 to 7, at least one positioning portion18separately extending above the bottom wall10from a position adjacent to the mating opening14and narrowing the mating opening14for an-disengagement of the inserted FPC4. The positioning portion18is substantially disposed at a corner of the mating opening14and partially located upon the bottom wall10with a cantilever-shaped configuration. Furthermore, the positioning portion18is located at a corner of the bottom wall10and the end wall12. The positioning portion18includes a first positioning section181extending substantially parallel to the bottom wall10and protruding from an inner side of the end wall12towards the mating room15, and a second positioning section183integrally connecting with a front side of the first positioning section181and extending from the bottom wall10or the end wall12. So the positioning portion18forms an L-shaped configuration (as best seen fromFIGS. 4 and 6) and defines a positioning recess182opened to the mating room15.

The FPC4is reclined on the positioning portions18, obliquely inserted into the mating room15and then at least partially received in positioning recess182. The FPC4has a shoulder portion41engaging with an inner side of the second positioning section183, and as a result, its forward movement can be properly limited (as best seen fromFIGS. 6 and 7). The first positioning section181is located upon of the FPC4for preventing the FPC4from being incidentally pulled away upwardly from the electrical connector. So the FPC4is steadily positioned by the L-shaped positioning portions18ensuring an electrical connection with the terminals2stably.

The metal ear3includes a vertical body portion30retained in the slot16, a first retaining portion31and a second retaining portion32both extending from both ends of the body portion30and retained in the end wall12and a soldered portion33extending outwards from a bottom edge of the body portion30for soldered onto a PCB (not shown).

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the dislosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the board general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.