Patent Publication Number: US-6699066-B2

Title: Electrical connector assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is related to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a flexible printed circuit (FPC) electrical connector assembly. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Flexible printed circuit connectors are widely used in electronic devices such as mobile telephones, keyboards, hard disk drives and fax machines etc. The article named &lt;History of FFC/FPC&gt; recorded in http://www.avxcorp.com/docs/Catalogs/ffchist.pdf introduces the constitution of the flexible printed circuit, the terminal design of the flexible printed circuit electrical connector assembly and the development trend of several flexible printed circuit electrical connectors mounted onto printed circuit boards. However, the conventional flexible printed circuit electrical connector assemblies are complicated in structure and the connectors have a low locating precise to the flexible printed circuits. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,580,272, 5,695,360 and 6,280,217 each disclose such an electrical connector. The connectors usually comprise an insulative housing and a cover pivoted in the insulative housing. When the cover is located in a first position, the end portion of the flexible printed circuit is inserted into a receiving space of the insulative housing, then rotating the cover to the second position and achieving an electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit and the electrical connector by pressing the cover. However, the electrical connectors are only used in the flexible printed circuits having conductive contact pads in one side, furthermore the whole connectors are complex in structure and have a low locating precise to the flexible printed circuits. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,764 discloses two connecting means used between a flexible printed circuit and a mother board. The first connecting means is an elastic member having two screw holes. When the elastic member is assembled onto the mother board, the contact pads of the end of the flexible printed circuit and the contact pads of the mother board are squeezed together by means of the elastic member and achieving an electrical connection between both. Although the connecting means is simple in structure, the connecting means is complicated to assemble and must resort to an auxiliary tool to locate the end portion of the flexible printed circuit. Additionally, the connecting means can&#39;t use in the occasion of limited assembly space. The second connecting means is an electrical connector assembly including a plug and a receptacle connector. The electrical connector assembly has disadvantages such as complexity in configuration, complication in assembly and high costs. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,831 discloses another connecting device between a flexible printed circuit and a mother board and having a receptacle connector and a guiding member. First, the flexible printed circuit is bent as a U shape and juxtaposed into a slot of the receptacle connector, then an insertion portion of the guiding member is inserted to a U-shaped recess formed in the flexible printed circuit and achieving an electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit and the receptacle connector by means of the squeezing of the insertion portion. Nevertheless, the flexible printed circuit itself has a certain flexibility so that it can&#39;t be well located when juxtaposed in the slot of the receptacle connector. Additionally, the insertion portion may be also affect the locating effect of the flexible printed circuit during the inserting process and thereby affecting the electrical transmission. 
     Hence, it is requisite to provide an electrical connector element which is simple in structure, convenient to assemble and can secure the exact connection between a flexible printed circuit and a receptacle connector. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly which is simple in structure and convenient to assemble and directly achieving an reliable electrical connection between a flexible printed circuit and a receptacle connector. 
     In order to achieve the objective set forth, an electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises a receptacle connector, a clamping device and a flexible printed circuit having a edge with a plurality of conductive elements thereon. The receptacle connector comprises an insulative housing defining a central slot in a top surface thereof and a plurality of terminal passageways receiving a corresponding plurality of conductive terminals. The clamping device comprises two clamping panels and two connecting sections downwardly extend from two ends of the clamping panels. The clamping device defines a space between the clamping panels and the edge of the flexible printed circuit being received in the space. The edge of the flexible printed circuit and the connecting section of the clamping device are inserted into the central slot of the insulative housing, and the conductive elements on the flexible printed circuit contacting the respective terminals. The clamping panels of the clamping device clamp the flexible printed circuit and the connecting sections thereof engaging with the housing. 
    
    
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the 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 perspective view of an receptacle connector, a flexible printed circuit and a clamping device of an electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an assembled, perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 to  3 , an electrical connector assembly  1  comprises a receptacle connector  10 , a clamping device  20  and a flexible printed circuit (FPC)  30 . 
     The receptacle connector  10  comprises an insulative housing  100  and a plurality of conductive terminals  110  retained to the housing  100 . The insulative housing  100  extends longitudinally and has a top surface  101 , a bottom surface  102  and two side surfaces  103 . The top surface  101  of the insulative housing  100  defines a central slot  104 . The housing  100  defines a plurality of terminal passageways  1041  in two side walls  1040  through the top surface  101  and the bottom surface  102  thereof and in communication with the central slot  104 . The conductive terminals  110  are received in the respective terminal passageways  1041  and each includes a mating end  111  extending into the central slot  104  and a soldering end  112  extending beyond the bottom surface  102  of the insulative housing  100 . The housing  100  further defines two recesses  1042  penetrating the top surface  101  and one of the side surfaces  103  thereof and in communication with the central slot  104 . A shoulder  1043  is formed at the conjunction of the top and side surfaces  101 ,  103  of the housing  100  above each recess  1042 . 
     The clamping device  20  comprises two clamping panels  200  extending longitudinally and two connecting sections  210  connecting end portions of said two clamping panels  200  and perpendicular to the extending direction of the clamping panel  200 . A space  214  is defined between the two clamping panels  200  and is proximately the same as the thickness of the flexible printed circuit  30 . Each connecting section  210  has a U shape and includes two vertical arms  211 ,  212  extending downwardly from the end portions of the clamping panels  200  and a curve section  213  connecting said two vertical arms  211 ,  212 . The vertical arm  212  of each U-shaped connecting section  210  has a hook  2120  at an outer surface thereof for cooperating with the shoulder  1043  of the insulative housing  100 . The two vertical arms  212  having the hooks  2120  are located in the same side of the clamping device  20 . 
     In assembly, the clamping device  20  receives an edge  301  of the flexible printed circuit  30  in the space  214  thereof. The clamping device  20  and the edge  301  of the FPC  30  are inserted together into the central slot  104  of the insulative housing  100  so as to achieve an electrical connection between conductive elements  300  on the edge  301  of the FPC  30  and the conductive terminals  110  of the connector  10 . At this time, the vertical arms  212  of the clamping device  20  are received in the recess  1042  of the insulative housing  100  and provide the function of guiding and locating during the insertion process of the FPC  30 . When the clamping device  20  is completely inserted into the slot  104 , the hooks  2120  of the vertical arms  212  engage the shoulders  1043  of the housing  100  so as to fix the clamping device  20  to the insulative housing  100 . When unloaded, it is only required to squeeze the two clamping panels  200  of the clamping device  20  to cause the hooks  2120  to disengage from the shoulders  1043 , then the clamping device  20  and the FPC  30  may be pulled out from the central slot  104  of the insulative housing  100 . The configuration of the hooks  2120  and the recess  1042  provide the connector assembly  1  with blind-mating function. 
     The electrical connector assembly  1  in accordance with the present invention can secure an exact and stable electrical connection between the flexible printed circuit  30  and the receptacle connector  10  by the clamping device  20 . Thus the whole electrical connector assembly  1  is simple in structure and convenient to assemble and further reducing the costs. 
     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 disclosure 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 broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.