Patent Publication Number: US-6981891-B1

Title: Flexible flat cable connector

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to flexible flat cable connectors, more particularly to a flexible flat cable connector for transmitting electric signals between a flexible flat cable and a socket. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   An electronic appliance contains inner places where electric signals are transmitted from one part to another. The means for such connection uses electric connectors or a flexible flat cable connected with a flexible flat cable connector. 
   Refer to  FIG. 1 , a socket  1  for receiving a flexible flat cable connector of the prior art is illustrated. The socket  1  comprises a housing  11  with a metallic outer shell, an upper terminal  12  located on the upper inner wall of the housing  11  and a lower terminal  13  located on the lower inner wall of the housing  11 . The upper and lower terminals  12 ,  13  respectively have connective members  121  and  131 , which are metallic strips bulged into each other. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a mating member  2  of the prior art, which can be coupled with the socket  1 , includes an insulating member  21 , an upper plate  22  on the top side of the insulating member  21  and a base plate  23  on the bottom side of the insulating member  21 . Between one of the upper plate  22  and the base plate  23  and the insulating member  21 , there is adhered a flexible flat cable  3 , whereby a mating portion  31  of the flexible flat cable  3  can extend out of the connector  2 . 
   The flexible flat cable  3  is covered with a conductive meshed layer  32  made of silver for reduction of EMI disturbances by being in electric contact with the metallic upper plate  22  or base plate  23 . However, the adhesive means for connecting the flexible flat cable  3  with the upper plate  22  or the base plate  23  prohibits an effective electric contact and cannot lessen EMI disturbances. It is a further disadvantage that the adhesive glue material may even cause faults of electric contact. Secondly, the same terminal of the flexible flat cable  3  is provided with a pull plate  33  for facilitating insertion of the connector  2  thereof into the socket  1 , However, the pull plate  33  is made of soft plastic and therefore easy to assist the insertion of the connector into the socket  1  but not easy to apply force thereon to unplug the connector  2  from the socket  1 . In the third place, the mating portion  31  of the flexible flat cable  3  is designed to be in electric contact with the upper plate  22  or the base plate  23  for a grounding effect. However, this effect may be lost due to the adhesive means for connection. Finally, the upper plate  22  and the base plate  23  are attached onto the insulating member  21  by engagement of only two ends thereof. Such connection cannot provide a sufficient structural force for a solid connection, which may leads to faulted connections. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a flexible flat cable connector having a more reliable means for connecting the flexible flat cable and the connector, so that EMI disturbances can be reduced and the grounding effect can be assured through more reliable electric contact. 
   The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a flexible flat cable connector having a specially designed upper plate which largely enhances the electric contact between the connector and the flexible flat cable so that the effects of reducing EMI disturbances and grounding can be further assured. The upper plate also secures the connector from falling off the flexible flat cable. 
   The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a flexible flat cable connector of the prior art. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a transverse cross-sectional view of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the upper plate of the flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of another preferred embodiment as a flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2–7 , a flexible flat cable connector according to the present invention is illustrated, which is applied to the electric connection of flexible flat cables in compact electronic appliances. The flexible flat cable connector comprises an upper plate  4 , a base plate  5  and an insulating member  6  clipping a flexible flat cable  7 . 
   The upper plate  4 , made of a selected metallic material, has two sidewalls  41  respectively on two lateral sides thereof. The backside of the upper plate  4 , is provided with a pulling member  43  extending obliquely. An opening  431  is formed between the pulling member  43  and the upper plate  4 . Close to each of two lateral sides of the upper plate  4 , there is a resilient arm  42 . The cross-section across the side walls  41  and the upper plate  4  takes a U shape, suitable for connecting the insulating member  6  in a sliding fashion. Referring to  FIG. 8 , the bottom side of the upper plate  4  is provided with two parallel retaining strips  44 . 
   The base plate  5 , also made of a metallic material, has two projected ears  51  respectively on two lateral sides thereof. The front edge of the base plate  5  is further provided with a multitude of spring fingers  52 . Each of the lateral sides of the base plate  5  is further provided with a retaining hole  511 . 
   The insulating member  6 , made of an insulating material, has two flanks  61 , each formed on one of two lateral side thereof and having an indentation  611 . The front edge of the insulating member  6  corresponding to the aforesaid row of spring fingers  52  is provided with a multitude of spring finger slots  64 , each having a through hole  641 . Further, the space defined by four sides of the insulating member  6  forms a depressed receptacle  63 , and the inner facing sides of the flanks  61  are each provided with a retaining block  62  corresponding to one of the retaining holes  511 . 
   The bottom side of the flexible flat cable  7  is provided with a conductive meshed surface  71  for the reduction of EMI disturbances. 
   The base plate  5  is disposed on the insulating member  6 , with the projected ears  51  thereon engaged with the flanks  61  of the insulating member  6 ; thereby, the retaining holes  511  are intervened by the retaining blocks  62  to achieve a retaining effect. Further, in such an engagement, the spring fingers  52  can extend into the corresponding spring finger slots  64  and hide within the through holes  641 . At the same time, the base plate  5  is also aligned with the depressed portion of the receptacle  63 , whereby the flexible flat cable  7  can be retained therein. 
   The flexible flat cable  7  is disposed between the base plate  5  and the projected ear  51  and is therefore aligned with the receptacle  63 , so that it can get clipped between the upper plate  4  and the base plate  5  (this will be described in detail later). The conductive meshed surface  71  of the flexible flat cable  7  is in electric contact with the base plate  5 . 
   The upper plate  4  is slidably connected to the insulating member  6  from its front edge to its rear edge, which is realized through the flanks  61  of the insulating member  6  being clipped by the U shaped cross-section formed by the upper plate  4  and its lateral walls  41 . Being connected, the resilient arms  42  of the upper plate  4  are disposed within the indentations  611  and in electric contact with the projected ears  51  to achieve a grounding effect. The resilient arms  42  provide an extra effect of restricting the upper plate  4  from sliding backward, since the free ends of the resilient arms  42  tilt against the inner wall of the indentations  611  in a direction opposite to that of the sliding direction. 
   The upper plate  4  can be further provided with a pair of retaining strips  44  for retaining the flexible flat cable  7  between the upper plate  4  and the base plate  5 . The retaining strips  44  can be further provided with terminals of electric contact for connecting the flexible flat cable  7 . Therefore, the retaining strips  44  not only strengthen the engagement of the flexible flat cable  7  with the base plate  5  but also enhance electric contact of the connector. To provide the flexible flat cable connector with a better pull-resisting effect, the bottom surface of the flexible flat cable  7  may have a bulged portion for engaging the receptacle  63  of the insulating member  6 , whereby the bulged portion can be secured within the depressed space between two projected ears  51  of the base plate  5 . Since the base plate  5  is already secured on the connector, the flexible flat cable  7  is thus more stably secured. 
   As the connector of the present invention is inserted into the socket  1 , the mating portions  131  of the lower terminal  13  of the socket  1  extend upwardly into the through holes  641  of the insulting member  6 . Each of the mating portions  131  is brought into contact with a corresponding spring finger  52  of the base plate  5 , and it can further be secured within a corresponding through hole  641  for enhancing the slide-resisting effect of the connector along the socket  1 . The pulling member  43  of the upper plate  4  can be handled by a hand to assist the insertion of the connector into the socket  1 , and the opening  431  on the pulling member  43  can also to handle to unplug the connector from the socket  1 . 
   Therefore, the flexible flat cable  7  is firmly clipped by the flexible flat cable connector of the present invention, and the adhesive means for connection of the prior art is not necessary, and therefore the disadvantages associated with such means are prevented. The present invention utilizes resilient arms  42  of an upper plate  4  to contact a base plate  5  electrically, and the base plate  5  also has an electric contact with the flexible flat cable  7 ; a reliable grounding effect is therefore achieved. The electric connection between the base plate  5  and the conductive meshed surface  71  of the flexible flat cable  7  not only provides such a grounding effect for reducing EMI disturbances. The clipping mechanism between the connector and the flexible flat cable  7  also toughens the structural integrity of the flexible flat cable connector, largely reducing faults in electric connection. 
   Referring to  FIG. 9 , another preferred embodiment of the present invention as a flexible flat cable connector has an upper plate  4   a  without a pulling member  43 . A pulling member  54  is formed on the base plate  5   a . There is a fold portion  53  between the base plate  5   a  and the pulling member  54 . The pulling member  54  is further provided with an indentation  541 . 
   The present invention is thus described, and it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.