Patent Publication Number: US-2012045949-A1

Title: Electrical contact

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical contact adapted to be mounted in a flexible circuit board to ensure that a flexible circuit board is firmly retained by the contact and to prevent the flexible circuit board from being disengaged. 
     2. Related Art 
     A conventional contact mounted in a flexible circuit board connector includes a first arm and a second arm spaced apart from the first arm each having a projection thereon for holding a flexible circuit board, a driven arm and a soldering arm respectively extend from ends of the first and second arms, and a linking arm disposed between the first and second arms and the driven and soldering arms. Due to leverage, the first arm is able to pivot about the linking arm towards the second arm when the driven arm is pressed by a pressure member so as to narrow an insertion opening defined by the first and second arms and to hold a flexible circuit board therein. 
     Unfortunately, the projections of the first and second arms are located directly opposite to each other in order to hold the flat flexible circuit board between the first and second arms. In other words, the flexible circuit board is held by a holding force applied on surfaces thereof from directly opposite directions in a same vertical plane. As a result, the flexible circuit board is easily to be disengaged from the contact when the flexible circuit board is inappropriately drawn. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact having first and second contact arms being able to efficiently and firmly clamp a flexible circuit board. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned objects, an electrical contact of the present invention includes first and second contact arms being spaced apart from each other in a vertical relation and having a contact portion, respectively, a soldering arm connected with the second contact arm, a driven arm connected with the first contact arm, and a support arm disposed between and connecting the first and second contact arms and the soldering and driven arms, wherein the contact portions of the first and second contact arms are disposed in different alignment with each other so as to clamp a flexible circuit board securely. 
     According to the above-mentioned features, when the driven arm is being pressed, the first contact arm is rotated about the support arm in a reverse direction with respect to a direction that the driven arm is driven. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of an electrical contact of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially schematic sectional view showing the electrical contact of the present invention being mounted in a dielectric housing; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing a flexible circuit board is clamped by the electrical contact of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are schematic views showing the electrical contact of the present invention being operated by a pressure member. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  in combination with  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an electrical contact  1  of the present invention is adapted to be mounted in a flexible circuit board connector  2 . The electrical contact  1  includes a first contact arm  10 , a second contact arm  11 , a soldering arm  12 , a driven arm  13 , and a support arm  14 , wherein the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11  are spaced apart from each other in a vertical relation such that the first contact arm  10  is located above the second contact arm  11 , and the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11  have contact portions  101 ,  111 , respectively. The contact portions  101 ,  111  project towards each other from sides of the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11 , respectively, and are disposed in different alignment with each other where projecting tops (not labeled) of the contact portions  100 ,  111  are spaced in a distance t in a horizontal direction and are adapted to electrically contact and clamp a flexible circuit board  3 . The second contact arm  11  is formed with a protrusion  110  being adjacent to the support arm  14  and towards the first contact arm  10  for enabling the flexible circuit board  3  to be clamped more securely. The driven arm  13  and the soldering arm  12  are located at right sides of the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11  with respect to the support arm  14 , respectively. The soldering arm  12  is soldered to a printed circuit board (not shown) and is laterally provided with a pivot slot  121  of a reverse J shape towards the driven arm  13 . The pivot slot  121  has a shoulder portion  122  and is adapted to pivotally receive a pressure member  20  thereon (referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The length of the driven arm  13  is shorter than that of the first contact arm  10  and is located above the pivot slot  121 . The support arm  14  is slightly inclined between the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11  and the soldering and driven arms  12 ,  13 . When the driven arm  13  is being pressed by the pressure member  20 , the first contact arm  10  is rotated about the support arm  14  in a reverse direction with respect to a direction that the driven arm  13  is pressed, that is, the first contact arm  10  is rotated towards the second contact arm  11 . 
     Particularly, the contact portion  101  of the first contact arm  10  is located in front of the contact portion  111  of the second contact arm  11  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Consequently, the contact portions  100 ,  111  are spaced away in the distance t in the horizontal direction (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). The flexible circuit board  3  is therefore clamped tightly between the contact portions  101 ,  111  when the first contact arm  10  is being rotated. Moreover, the protrusion  110  projects towards the first contact arm  10  at a height higher than a top of the contact portion  111  so that the flexible circuit board  3  is preliminarily positioned and clamped between the first and second contact arms  10 ,  11 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , after the electrical contact  1  is being mounted in the connector  2 , the first contact arm  10  and the second contact arm  11  are spaced apart from each other with the support arm  14  connected therebetween in which the flexible circuit board  3  is inserted (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), and the contact portions  101 ,  111  are disposed in different alignment with each other as described above. When the pressure member  20  pivots on the reverse J-shaped pivoting slot  121  to press against the driven arm  13  upwardly, the first contact arm  10  rotates about the support arm  14  towards the second contact arm  11  and therefore clamps the flexible circuit board  3  tightly together with the second contact arm  11  by the contact portions  101 ,  111 . 
     It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the claims. Thus the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive, of the invention defined by the claims.