Substrate mounted flexible circuit board connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9225084-B2
Application number	US-201314025258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2013
Priority date	Sep 12, 2012
Publication date	Dec 29, 2015
Grant date	Dec 29, 2015

Abstract

The present application provides a connection device and a connector. The connector comprises a housing mounted on a circuit substrate and a plurality of terminals. The housing has a recessed region and a plurality of channels. The recessed region, together with the circuit substrate, forms a mating groove for mating a flexible circuit board, and the mating groove extends forwardly to a radius. The plurality of terminals correspond to the plurality of channels and each of the terminal includes a resilient contact arm. The resilient contact arm extends toward a surface of the circuit substrate in the corresponding channel of the housing and extends into the recessed region to form a contact portion. The connection device comprises the circuit substrate and the connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector comprising:
a housing having a recessed region and a plurality of channels communicated with the recessed region, the recessed region being recessed from a bottom surface of the housing and extending forwardly to a radius formed in the housing, the housing including a rear base portion opposite the radius, an upper wall body, the housing including two side shoulder portions respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the radius; and
a plurality of terminals respectively positioned in the plurality of channels, each terminal including a mounting leg held in the housing, a tail portion extending out of the bottom surface of the housing, and a resilient contact arm extending toward the recessed region in the corresponding channel of the housing and extending into the recessed region to form a contact portion, wherein the resilient contact arm of the each terminal is connected to the mounting leg, the tail portion is a distal end of the mounting leg extending straightly downwardly and the terminal is inserted downwardly into the housing from an upper side of the upper wall body and wherein the plurality of terminals are positioned in a staggered manner along the recessed region so that the resilient contact arms of the adjacent terminals are staggered.

2. A connector comprising:
a housing having a recessed region and a plurality of channels communicated with the recessed region, the recessed region being recessed from a bottom surface of the housing and extending forwardly to a radius formed in the housing, the housing including a rear base portion opposite the radius, an upper wall body, the housing including two side shoulder portions respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the radius; and
a plurality of terminals respectively positioned in the plurality of channels, each terminal including a mounting leg held in the housing, a tail portion extending out of the bottom surface of the housing, and a resilient contact arm extending toward the recessed region in the corresponding channel of the housing and extending into the recessed region to form a contact portion, wherein the contact portion is configured so as to contact a surface of a supporting substrate when the connector is installed.

3. A connector comprising:
a housing having a recessed region and a plurality of channels communicated with the recessed region, the recessed region being recessed from a bottom surface of the housing and extending forwardly to a radius formed in the housing, the housing including a rear base portion opposite the radius, an upper wall body, the housing including two side shoulder portions respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the radius; and
a plurality of terminals respectively positioned in the plurality of channels, each terminal including a mounting leg held in the housing, a tail portion extending out of the bottom surface of the housing, and a resilient contact arm extending toward the recessed region in the corresponding channel of the housing and extending into the recessed region to form a contact portion, wherein the resilient contact arm of the each terminal is connected to the mounting leg, the tail portion is a distal end of the mounting leg extending straightly downwardly and the terminal is inserted downwardly into the housing from an upper side of the upper wall body and the rear base portion comprises a plurality of mounting holes respectively corresponding to the plurality of terminals, the mounting leg of the each terminal is held in the corresponding mounting hole, wherein the channel is positioned in the upper wall body and in front of the mounting hole and the plurality of terminals are positioned in a staggered manner along the recessed region so that the resilient contact arms of the adjacent terminals are staggered.

4. A connection device comprising:
a circuit substrate; and
a connector comprising:
a housing mounted on the circuit substrate and having a recessed region and a plurality of channels communicated with the recessed region, the recessed region being recessed from a bottom surface of the housing, and together with the circuit substrate, forming a mating groove for mating a flexible circuit board, the mating groove comprising a receptacle groove extending forwardly at a front end thereof; the receptacle groove having a radius extending along the mating groove, the housing including a rear base portion opposite the radius, an upper wall body opposite to the bottom surface and two side shoulder portions respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the radius; and
a plurality of terminals respectively corresponding to the plurality of channels, each terminal including a mounting leg held in the housing, a tail portion soldered on an electrical connection point of the circuit substrate and a resilient contact arm extending toward a surface of the circuit substrate in the corresponding channel of the housing and extending into the mating groove to form a contact portion facing the surface;

wherein, in operation, the flexible circuit board enters into the mating groove via the radius and the receptacle groove and is sandwiched between the circuit substrate and the contact portions of the plurality of terminals so that the contact portion of the terminals are electrically connected with a corresponding contact point of the flexible circuit board.

5. The connection device according to claim 4 , wherein the resilient contact arm of the each terminal is connected to the mounting leg, the tail portion is a distal end of the mounting leg extending straightly downwardly.

6. The connection device according to claim 5 , wherein the housing comprises a guiding edge which is positioned close to a periphery of the receptacle and makes a front end of the receptacle groove extend in a manner of expanding on the outside and contracting on the inside.

7. The connection device according to claim 5 , wherein the terminal is inserted downwardly into the housing from an upper side of the upper wall body.

8. The connection device according to claim 7 , wherein the rear base portion comprises a plurality of mounting holes respectively corresponding to the plurality of terminals, the mounting leg of the each terminal is held in the corresponding mounting hole.

9. The connection device according to claim 8 , wherein the channel is positioned in the upper wall body and in front of the mounting hole.

10. The connection device according to claim 9 , wherein the plurality of terminals are arranged along an arrangement direction, the plurality of terminals are not aligned along the arrangement direction, and the resilient contact arms of the adjacent terminals are staggered.

Assignees

• Molex Inc
• Molex Llc

Inventors

• Hodge Ronald C

Classifications

• H01R13/2442

  with a single cantilevered beam · CPC title

• H01R12/62 Primary

  connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures · CPC title