Abstract:
A flexible printed circuit board connector includes an insulating housing defining two insertion spaces which are opposite to each other and separated by a partition therebetween and two groups of terminal slots defined by and corresponding to the respective insertion spaces. A pair of covers engages in a rotatable manner with the insulating housing for covering the respective insertion spaces, and two groups of terminals are respectively disposed in the two groups of terminal slots of the insulating housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a connector, and more particularly to a flexible printed circuit board connector (also known as FPC connector). 
   2. The Related Art 
   In electronic industry, flexible printed circuit boards are widely applied in many kinds of electronic devices due to their high flexibility and thin structure. Accordingly, connectors for connecting the flexible printed circuit boards to other electrical components of the electronic devices are mass-employed. 
   Conventionally, an example of a flexible printed circuit board connector usually called a FPC connector for short and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,079 includes an insulating housing formed with a FPC inserting space, a plurality of terminals loaded in parallel relationship with a predetermined pitch between every two of the adjacent terminals in the insulating housing, and an upper cover disposed above the FPC inserting space of the insulating housing and capable of moving between an open position for allowing insertion of a flexible printed circuit board into the insulating housing and a closed position where the upper cover presses the flexible printed circuit board against conductive contacts of the terminals. However, in order to match the property request of some compact electronic device, the number of the terminals of the FPC connector needs to be increased correspondingly. On condition that the pitch between every two of the adjacent terminals that are mounted in the insulating housing maintains unchangeable, the length of the FPC connector will inevitably become too long to be adapted for the compact electronic device. Hence, an improved FPC connector is required to overcome the disadvantage of the conventional FPC connector. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible printed circuit board connector with an improved structure adapted for a compact electronic device. The flexible printed circuit board connector includes an insulating housing defining two insertion spaces which are opposite to each other and separated by a partition therebetween, and two groups of terminal slots defined by and corresponding to the respective insertion spaces. A pair of covers engages in a rotatable manner with the insulating housing for covering the respective insertion spaces, and two groups of terminals are respectively disposed in the two groups of terminal slots of the insulating housing. 
   As described above, the advanced flexible printed circuit board connector has the two opposite insertion spaces for two flexible printed circuit boards being inserted in. The flexible printed circuit board connector not only satisfies the property request of the compact electronic device but also reduces the length thereof. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flexible printed circuit board connector in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the flexible printed circuit board connector shown in  FIG. 1  and viewed from another perspective; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an insulating housing of the flexible printed circuit board connector; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one of two rotating covers of the flexible printed circuit board connector; 
       FIG. 5  is an assembly perspective view of the insulating housing and the rotating covers with one of the rotating covers being in open state; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one of two retaining components of the flexible printed circuit board connector; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a terminal of the flexible printed circuit board connector; 
       FIG. 8  is an assembly perspective view of the flexible printed circuit board connector with the rotating cover being in the open state; 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the flexible printed circuit board connector; 
       FIG. 10  is a side view of the flexible printed circuit board connector shown in  FIG. 8 ; and 
       FIG. 11  is a partially enlarged view of the encircled portion labeled I of  FIG. 10 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a flexible printed circuit board connector  100  usually called a FPC connector for short in accordance with the present invention includes an insulating housing  10 , two rotating covers  20  pivotally and symmetrically disposed on the front and rear portions of the insulating housing  10 , two groups of terminals  30  mounted symmetrically in the front and rear portions of the insulating housing  10  for electrically connecting two flexible printed circuit boards  50  (shown in  FIG. 9 ) with a printed circuit board (PCB) of an electrical device (not shown), and a pair of retaining components  40  mounted in the insulating housing  10  and fixed on the electrical device for locating the FPC connector  100  on the electrical device steadily. 
   With reference to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the insulating housing  10  of the FPC connector  100  is substantially rectangular and disposed transversely. The insulating housing  10  has a basic body  11 , two sidewalls  12  extending laterally and upwardly from opposite sides of the basic body  11  respectively and a partition  13  protruding transversely from the middle portion of the basic body  11  for symmetrically dividing the basic body  11  into two parts in the front-to-rear direction (as used herein, the direction perpendicular to length direction of the connector). Then the basic body  11 , the two sidewalls  12  and the partition  13  collectively define two insertion spaces  14  therebetween respectively facing the front and the rear directions for the two flexible printed circuit boards  50  (see  FIG. 9 ) being inserted therein. Because the front part and the rear part of the basic body  11  separated by the partition  13  have the same structure, then just the front part of the basic body  11  will be described in detail herein. The front part of the basic body  11  longitudinally defines a plurality of terminal slots  111  in parallel relationship with a predetermined pitch between every two of the adjacent terminal slots  111 . The terminal slots  111  each extend to pass through the front of the basic body  11  and also partially extend into the partition  13 . A locating groove  112  is transversely defined on the front part of the basic body  11  and adjacent to a front side of the partition  13 . The locating groove  112  passes through the basic body  11  and the two sidewalls  12  and communicates with the terminal slots  111 . Each of the sidewalls  12  longitudinally defines a receiving cavity  121  passing therethrough. The sidewall  12  defines two accommodating holes  122  at the front portion and the rear portion thereof and the two accommodating holes  122  are separated by the sidewall  12  connecting with the center portion of the partition  13 . Each of the accommodating holes  122  passes through the top and bottom and the outer side of the sidewall  12  and communicates with the locating groove  112  of the basic body  11 . The sidewall  12  defines two receiving apertures  123  passing through the top and bottom thereof. The two receiving apertures  123  are respectively positioned at the front and the rear of the accommodating holes  122  of the sidewall  12 . Two receiving gaps  124  are respectively defined at the foremost and rearmost portions of the sidewall  12 . The front side and a rear side of the partition  13  respectively define a plurality of fixing caves  131  at the top portions thereof and correspondingly facing the terminal slots  111  defined on the front part and the rear part of the basic body  11 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 4 , each of the two rotating covers  20  is in rectangular shape and has a pressing arm  24  transversely defined at the rear portion of the rotating cover  20 . A plurality of propping recesses  22  is parallel defined on the top and rear of the rotating cover  20 . A bottom surface of the rotating cover  20  defines a plurality of receiving recesses  28 . Two substantially circular cam shafts  26  protrude outward from opposite sides of the pressing arm  24 . Two buckling blocks  29  protrude downward from the front end portion of the rotating cover  20 . 
   With reference to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 7 , the terminal  30  substantially formed in H-shape has an upper arm  31 , a lower arm  32 , a connecting arm  33  connecting the upper arm  31  and the lower arm  32  together to form a H-shape. A front tip of the upper arm  31  protrudes downwardly to form an upper contact portion  311 . A lower contact portion  321  protrudes upwardly upon the nearly middle portion of the lower arm  32 . A front tip of the lower arm  32  protrudes downwardly to from a soldering portion  34 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 6 , each of the retaining components  40  has a basic strip  41 . A bottom surface of the basic strip  41  defines two notches  42 . The front portion and the rear portion of the basic strip  41  respectively protrude downward to form a locating nail  43 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 8 . In assembly, the two rotating covers  20  are symmetrically disposed on the insulating housing  10  and cover the two insertion spaces  14 . The pressing arm  24  of the rotating cover  20  is placed in the locating groove  112  of the basic body  11 . The two cam shafts  26  of the rotating cover  20  are respectively received in the accommodating holes  122  defined in the opposite sidewalls  12  respectively. The two buckling blocks  29  of the rotating cover  20  are respectively arranged in the receiving gaps  124  defined in the opposite sidewalls  12  for fastening the rotating cover  20  on the insulating housing  10 . The two groups of terminals  30  are respectively disposed in the terminal slots  111  defined on the front part and the rear part of the basic body  11  of the insulating housing  10 . The lower arm  32  is inserted in the terminal slot  111  of the insulating housing  10  and the upper arm  31  is received in the receiving recess  28  of the rotating cover  20 . The rear portion of the upper arm  31  is inserted in the propping recess  22  of the rotating cover  20  and further inserted into the fixing cave  131  of the partition  13  formed on the basic body  11  of the insulating housing  10 . The rear portion of the lower arm  32  received in the terminal slot  111  supports the pressing arm  24  so that the pressing arm  24  is confined between the rear portion of the upper arm  31  and the rear portion of the lower arm  32  and retained by the connecting arm  33  of the terminal  30 . The soldering portion  34  is soldered to the PCB for electrically connecting with the PCB. The two retaining components  40  are respectively mounted in the insulating housing  10 . The basic strip  41  of the retaining component  40  is placed in the receiving cavity  121 . The locating nails  43  are inserted in the receiving apertures  123  and soldered on the electrical device to locate the insulating housing  10  on the electrical device. The notches  42  receive the cam shafts  26  therein. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 . The cam shaft  26  of the rotating cover  20  is cut to have two flat surfaces and a humped portion formed between the two flat surfaces and smoothly connecting with the two flat surfaces, so that the cam shaft  26  has an utmost protrudent point at the humped portion. A chord that passes the utmost protrudent point and an axle center of the cam shaft  26  is the longest chord of the cam shaft  26 . The length of the longest chord of the cam shaft  26  is designated by L 1  and is longer than the distance between the flat surface of the cam shaft  26  and the lowest surface of the cam shaft  26  that faces the flat surface, wherein the distance is designated by L 3  which is equal to or greater than L 2  represented the distance between an upper surface of the notch  42  receiving the cam shaft  26  and the lowest surface of the cam shaft  26  that faces the notch  42 . While the rotating cover  20  is flipped and the cam shaft  26  is rotated in the accommodating hole  122  and the notch  42 , the utmost protrudent point of the cam shaft  26  brushes past the upper surface of the notch  42 . Therefore, interference is produced between the utmost protrudent point of the cam shaft  26  and the upper surface of the notch  42 . In order to flip the rotating cover  20 , an intended considerable force should be exerted upon the rotating cover  20  to overcome the interference. Therefore, the rotating cover  20  is opened securely and avoided being accidentally turned over to cover the insulating housing  10 , which facilitates inserting or releasing the flexible printed circuit boards  50  into or from the FPC connector  100 . 
   In use, the two flexible printed circuit boards  50  are respectively inserted in the FPC connector  100  from the front and rear directions and disposed between the upper arms  31  and the lower arms  32  of the terminals  30 . The rotating covers  20  are flipped down with the buckling blocks  29  of the rotating covers  20  inserted in the receiving gaps  124  of the insulating housing  10  for tightly locking the rotating covers  20  to the insulating housing  10 . The upper contact portions  311  and the lower contact portions  321  respectively defined on the upper arms  31  and the lower arms  32  are capable of contacting electric modules of the two flexible printed circuit boards  50 , which avoids the flexible printed circuit boards  50  from being inserted in the FPC connector  100  in a wrong way and at the same time the upper contact portions  311  and the lower contact portions  321  clip the flexible printed circuit boards  50 , which ensures that the flexible printed circuit boards  50  are disposed between the upper arms  31  and the lower arms  32  much more steadily. Thus, signal transmission between the flexible printed circuit boards  50  and the PCB of the electrical device is stable. 
   As described above, the advanced FPC connector  100  has the two opposite insertion spaces in which the two flexible printed circuit boards  50  are inserted from the front and rear directions. The FPC connector  100  not only satisfies the property request of the electrical device but also reduces the length thereof, so that the advanced FPC connector  100  is adapted for a compact electrical device. 
   The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.