Patent Publication Number: US-9431736-B2

Title: Card edge connector and card edge connector assembly

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly, and in particular to a card edge connector electrically coupled to a circuit board and a card edge connector assembly. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional techniques can refer to Taiwan patent publication No. M442603 which reveals a card edge cable connector assembly. The cable connector includes an insulating housing, a circuit board, a cable, and a cover. The insulating housing includes a plurality of first terminals and second terminals inserted therein, and the first terminals and the second terminals can be electrically connected to the cable via the circuit board. The first terminals are above the second terminals, and contacts of the first terminals, and mating portions of the first terminals and the second terminals stretch into a plug space of the insulating housing. Accordingly, the plug space can be used for an external circuit board to plug in such that the first terminals and the second terminals electrically contact with the external circuit board for achieving electrical interconnection. All ends of the first and second terminals herein must be welded to welding portions on the circuit board through a welding process. 
     However, the prior art card edge cable connector requires complex welding equipment and processes to weld the terminals and the circuit board together. This not only requires complicated manual work, but is also very difficult to manufacture. Moreover, the terminals need to be de-soldered when that requires service. It is not conducive to repair work, and also increases the overall cost of manufacturing. Thus, there is a requirement to improve the structure, in order to meet the demand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector, which employs two docking insulators for disposing terminals therebetween, and the terminals are designed to have two elastic contact portions respectively at both ends so that front contact portions can electrically contact an external circuit board, and back contact portions can electrically contact a circuit transferring board that is electrically coupled to a flexible flat cable. Therefore, the problem of the high cost of manufacturing by using the conventional welding process can be solved, and the difficulty of the repair work can be reduced. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a card edge connector assembly, which employs the said card edge connector to solve the problem of the high cost of manufacturing by using the conventional welding process and reduces the difficulty of the repair work. 
     To achieve the foregoing objectives, the card edge connector provided by an embodiment of the present invention is utilized to couple to a circuit board. The card edge connector includes a first insulator, a second insulator, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals, a circuit transferring board, and a flexible flat cable. The first insulator has a plug space for coupling to the circuit board, and the first insulator has a plurality of first terminal holes located above the plug space and a plurality of second terminal holes located below the plug space. The second insulator has a front end face and a back end face, and the front end face abuts against the first insulator and has a plurality of first slotted holes interconnecting with the first terminal holes and a plurality of second slotted holes interconnecting with the second terminal holes. The back end face has a slot. The first terminals are disposed within the first terminal holes and the first slotted holes. The second terminals are disposed within the second terminal holes and the second slotted holes, wherein the first terminals and the second terminals comprise a plurality of front contact portions and a plurality of back contact portions. The front contact portions reach the plug space via the first terminal holes and the second terminal holes, and the back contact portions reach the slot via the first slotted holes and the second slotted holes. The circuit transferring board is inserted into the slot of the second insulator. The circuit transferring board comprises a plurality of first conductive portions, second conductive portions, and welding portions, wherein the back contact portions are electrically coupled to the first conductive portions and the second conductive portions. The flexible flat cable comprises a plurality of conductors which are welded to the welding portions of the circuit transferring board. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the first conductive portions are disposed on an upper surface of the circuit transferring board, and the second conductive portions are disposed on a lower surface of the circuit transferring board. The back contact portions of the first terminals electrically contact the first conductive portions, and the back contact portions of the second terminals electrically contact the second conductive portions. Furthermore, the welding portions are disposed on a surface of the circuit transferring board, and the first conductive portions and the second conductive portions are electrically coupled to the welding portions. In addition, there is a docking direction defined by the card edge connector coupling to the circuit board, and the circuit transferring board is parallel to the docking direction. In the embodiment, the slot of the second insulator has a positioning portion whereby the circuit transferring board can be fixed in the slot after inserting. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the first terminals are located above the second terminals, and the first terminals and the second terminals are interleaved. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the back end face of the second insulator has a long-slotted hole, and the flexible flat cable can pass through the long-slotted hole and drawn out from a bottom surface of the second insulator. Accordingly, the flexible flat cable is bent to form a plurality of bending portions. 
     To achieve the other objective mentioned above, the card edge connector assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes a first insulator, a second insulator, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of second terminals, a circuit transferring board, a flexible flat cable, and a circuit board. The first insulator has a plug space, a plurality of first terminal holes located above the plug space, and a plurality of second terminal holes located below the plug space. The second insulator has a front end face and a back end face, and the front end face abuts against the first insulator and has a plurality of first slotted holes interconnecting with the first terminal holes and a plurality of second slotted holes interconnecting with the second terminal holes. The back end face has a slot. The first terminals are disposed within the first terminal holes and the first slotted holes. The second terminals are disposed within the second terminal holes and the second slotted holes, wherein the first terminals and the second terminals comprise a plurality of front contact portions and a plurality of back contact portions. The front contact portions reach the plug space via the first terminal holes and the second terminal holes, and the back contact portions reach the slot via the first slotted holes and the second slotted holes. The circuit transferring board is inserted into the slot of the second insulator. The circuit transferring board comprises a plurality of first conductive portions, second conductive portions, and welding portions, wherein the back contact portions are electrically coupled to the first conductive portions and the second conductive portions. The flexible flat cable comprises a plurality of conductors which are welded to the welding portions of the circuit transferring board. The circuit board has a card edge portion, and the card edge portion has an upper side and a lower side with a plurality of conductive portions. The card edge portion is inserted into the plug space of the first insulator. The front contact portions of the first terminals electrically contact the conductive portions located on the upper side of the card edge portion, and the front contact portions of the second terminals electrically contact the conductive portions located on the lower side of the card edge portion. 
     In one preferred embodiment, the first insulator has a fool-proofing structure, so that the card edge portion can be inserted into the plug space in only one direction. Specifically, the fool-proofing structure is a groove disposed upon a side of the first insulator. 
     In comparison with the prior art, the back contact portions of the first and second terminals employed by the present invention are capable of resiliently contacting the circuit transferring board, vertically, so there is no need to connect them by using welding, thereby solving the problems of the conventional welded connection. Moreover, convenience of repair is increased because of the resilient contact. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts an exploded view of a card edge connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of some parts of the elements in the embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the first insulator and a plurality of first and second terminals in the embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of these in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are schematic drawings illustrating the assembly of the first insulator and the second insulator; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view along A-A in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view along B-B in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating the bottom of the card edge connector according to the embodiment; and 
         FIG. 10  is a partial exploded view of a card edge connector assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Descriptions of the following embodiments refer to attached drawings which are utilized to exemplify specific embodiments. Directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as “top” and “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “inside”, “outside”, “side” and so on are only directions with respect to the attached drawings. Therefore, the used directional terms are utilized to explain and understand the present invention but not to limit the present invention. In different drawings, the same reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the drawings. 
     Refer to  FIG. 1 , which depicts an exploded view of a card edge connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The card edge connector  1  of the embodiment is utilized to couple to a circuit board (not shown). The card edge connector  1  includes a first insulator  10 , a second insulator  20 , a plurality of first terminals  30 , a plurality of second terminals  40 , a circuit transferring board  50 , and a flexible flat cable (FFC)  60 . 
     As shown in the drawing, the first insulator  10  has a plug space  12  or coupling to the circuit board. The first insulator  10  has a plurality of first terminal holes  11  located above the plug space  12 , and a plurality of second terminal holes  13  located below the plug space  12 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 ,  FIG. 2  is an exploded view of some parts of the elements in the embodiment;  FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the first insulator and a plurality of first and second terminals in the embodiment; and  FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of these in  FIG. 3 . The second insulator  20  has a front end face  22  and a back end face  24 , and the front end face  22  abuts against the first insulator  10 . The front end face  22  has a plurality of first slotted holes  21  interconnecting with the first terminal holes  11  and a plurality of second slotted holes  23  interconnecting with the second terminal holes  13 . Moreover, the back end face  24  of the second insulator  20  has a slot  25 . The first terminals  30  are disposed within the first terminal holes  11  and the first slotted holes  21 . Similarly, the second terminals  40  are disposed within the second terminal holes  13  and the second slotted holes  23 . In the embodiment, the first terminals  30  are located above the second terminals  40 , and the first terminals  30  and the second terminals  40  are interleaved. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 to 8 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are schematic drawings illustrating the assembly of the first insulator and the second insulator;  FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view along A-A in  FIG. 6 ; and  FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view along B-B in  FIG. 6 . The first terminals  30  and the second terminals  40  comprise a plurality of front contact portions  120  and a plurality of back contact portions  140 . The front contact portions  120  reach the plug space  12  via the first terminal holes  11  and the second terminal holes  13 , and the back contact portions  140  reach the slot  25  via the first slotted holes  21  and the second slotted holes  23 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 7-8 , the circuit transferring board  50  is inserted into the slot  25  of the second insulator  20 . The circuit transferring board  50  comprises a plurality of first conductive portions  51 , second conductive portions  53 , and welding portions  55 . The back contact portions  140  of the first terminals  30  and the second terminals  40  are electrically coupled to the first conductive portions  51  and the second conductive portions  53 . Specifically, the first conductive portions  51  are disposed on an upper surface  520  of the circuit transferring board  50 , and the second conductive portions  53  are disposed on a lower surface  540  of the circuit transferring board  50 . Accordingly, the back contact portions  140  of the first terminals  30  electrically contact the first conductive portions, and the back contact portions of the second terminals electrically contact the second conductive portions. 
     On the other hand, the flexible flat cable  60  includes a plurality of conductors  62  which are welded to the welding portions  55  of the circuit transferring board  50 . It is worth mentioning that the conductors  62  and welding portions  55  may be covered with an insulating adhesive (not shown) in order to ensure the connection of the two is solid. In the embodiment, the welding portions  55  are disposed on a surface of the circuit transferring board  50 , and the first conductive portions  51  and the second conductive portions  53  are electrically coupled to the welding portions  55 . That is to say, all the first conductive portion  51  and second conductive portion  53  of the upper and lower surfaces are coupled to the welding portions  55  via traces within the circuit transferring board  50 . In the embodiment, the spacing of the welding portions  55  is less than or equal to that of the first conductive portions  51  and the second conductive portions  53 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  again, there is a docking direction D defined by the card edge connector  1  coupling to the circuit board, and the circuit transferring board  50  is parallel to the docking direction D. It is worth mentioning that the slot  25  of the second insulator  20  has a positioning portion  28  such that the circuit transferring board  50  can be fixed in the slot  25  after inserting. However, when that needs repair, the circuit transferring board  50  can be pulled out by pushing the slot  25  outward without a de-soldering process. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating the bottom of the card edge connector according to the embodiment. The back end face  24  of the second insulator  20  has a long-slotted hole  29 , and the flexible flat cable  60  can pass through the long-slotted hole  29  and drawn out from a bottom surface of the second insulator  20 . Specifically, the flexible flat cable  60  is bent to form a plurality of bending portions  65 , so as to improve firmness of the connection. 
     What follows is a detail of a card edge connector assembly adopting the card edge connector  1  of the above-mentioned embodiment. Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 10 ,  FIG. 10  is a partial exploded view of a card edge connector assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The card edge connector assembly includes a first insulator  10 , a second insulator  20 , a plurality of first terminals  30 , a plurality of second terminals  40 , a circuit transferring board  50 , a flexible flat cable  60 , and a circuit board  70 . 
     The first insulator  10  has a plug space  12 . The first insulator  10  has a plurality of first terminal holes  11  located above the plug space  12 , and a plurality of second terminal holes  13  located below the plug space  12 . The second insulator  20  has a front end face  22  and a back end face  24 , and the front end face  22  abuts against the first insulator  10 . The front end face  22  has a plurality of first slotted holes  21  interconnecting with the first terminal holes  11  and a plurality of second slotted holes  23  interconnecting with the second terminal holes  13 . The back end face  24  has a slot  25 . The first terminals  30  are disposed within the first terminal holes  11  and the first slotted holes  21 . The second terminals  40  are disposed within the second terminal holes  13  and the second slotted holes  23 , wherein the first terminals  30  and the second terminals  40  comprise a plurality of front contact portions  120  and a plurality of back contact portions  142 . The front contact portions  120  reach the plug space  12  via the first terminal holes  11  and the second terminal holes  13 , and the back contact portions  140  reach the slot  25  via the first slotted holes  21  and the second slotted holes  23 . The circuit transferring board  50  is inserted into the slot  25  of the second insulator  20 . The circuit transferring board  50  comprises a plurality of first conductive portions  51 , second conductive portions  53 , and welding portions  55 , wherein the back contact portions  140  are electrically coupled to the first conductive portions  51  and the second conductive portions  53 . The flexible flat cable  60  includes a plurality of conductors  62  which are welded to the welding portions  55 . The descriptions of the same elements have been explained as above mention, so no further detail will be provided herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the circuit board  70  has a card edge portion  72 , and the card edge portion  72  has an upper side and a lower side with a plurality of conductive portions  75 . The card edge portion  72  is inserted into the plug space  12  of the first insulator  10 . The front contact portions  120  of the first terminals  30  electrically contact the conductive portions  75  located on the upper side of the card edge portion  72 , and the front contact portions  120  of the second terminals  40  electrically contact the conductive portions  75  located on the lower side of the card edge portion  72 . 
     Notably, the first insulator  10  has a fool-proofing structure  80 , so that the card edge portion  72  can be inserted into the plug space  12  in only one direction. Specifically, the fool-proofing structure  82  is a groove  85  disposed upon a side of the first insulator  10 . However, the specific structures of the fool-proofing structure  80  are not limited in the present invention, and other fool-proofing structures are also within the scope of the present invention. 
     In summary, the back contact portions  140  of the first terminals  30  and second terminals  40  employed by the present invention are capable of resiliently contacting the circuit transferring board  50 , vertically, so there is no need to connect them by using the welding, thereby solving the problems resulting from adopting the conventional welding. Moreover, the convenience of repair is increased due to the resilient contact. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail, various modifications and alterations can be made by persons skilled in this art. The embodiment of the present invention, is therefore described in an illustrative but not restrictive sense.