This invention relates generally to a compression connector for connecting a flat flexible circuit to a printed circuit board.
In the field of electronics, there is an increasing need for connections between rigid printed circuit boards and flexible cables such as flat flexible circuits. Since relatively complex circuits are now constructed on flexible materials, their connection to conventional printed circuit boards has become increasingly more important.
Such connections have, oftentimes, been effected by soldering or through the use of fastening hardware, such as screws, to facilitate a secure electrical connection. It is desirable to be able to secure alignment for a proper mechanical and electrical connection and to effect such connection without the need to utilize loose hardware which can easily be lost, mishandled or dropped. Even retained hardware requires proper tightening and subsequent loosening to effect proper electrical connection and subsequent disconnection between the conductor pads of the flexible circuit and the conductor pads of the printed circuit board. These tasks require appropriate tools as well as time in order to properly connect and disconnect the mating components.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide an improved connector which does not utilize loose or retained fastening hardware during the connection and disconnection process and which includes alignment means to align the flexible circuit for proper mechanical and electrical connection to the printed circuit board.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a new and improved compression connector is shown for mechanically and electrically connecting the conductor pads of a flat flexible circuit to the conductor pads of a complementary printed circuit board. The connector includes a carrier plate having one side to which a flexible circuit is secured through the use of a pair of extending pegs and having an opposite side which slidably carries an actuator. The actuator is slidably carried by the carrier for movement between a first (disengaged) position and a second (engaged) position. A tension spring is securely mounted to the top side of the actuator at its forward end.
The printed circuit board includes a pair of positioning openings or holes for receiving the extending pegs and also includes a cage structure having a top wall and side walls, with the top wall positioned above the positioning holes and also above the conductor pads on the printed circuit board.
An interposer is positioned against the conductor pads of the flexible circuit and is adapted to extend electrical connection between the conductor pads of the flexible circuit and the conductor pads of the printed circuit board in response to the positioning of the carrier plate with the extending pegs received in the positioning holes, while the actuator is in its first (disengaged) position, and subsequent movement of the actuator to its second (engaged) position. Movement of the actuator to its second position causes the top wall of the cage structure to engage and compress the tension spring which exerts downward force against the conductor pads of the flexible circuit, the conductor terminals of the interposer, and the conductor pads of the printed circuit board.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The compression connector assembly 10 is shown generally in
The connector assembly includes a thin, generally flat, rectangular, molded carrier plate 16 which retains the flexible circuit 12 as hereinafter described in a flat, unwrapped orientation parallel to its bottom surface 18 while carrying a slidable actuator 20 on its top surface 22. The carrier plate, shown also in
Also protruding from the top surface of the carrier plate is a ridge or bar 34 positioned parallel to and central with respect to opposite side edges 36 of the carrier plate and located at its rearward portion in a perpendicular association with the rearward end 26 of the carrier plate. The bar includes a forward stop surface 35 on the portion extending toward the guide pins and a rearward stop surface 37 at its opposite end flush with the rearward end 26 of the carrier plate. The bar interacts with portions of the actuator as hereinafter described.
Extending outward from the bottom side of the carrier plate on the forward portion 28 adjacent the side edges are a pair of compression pegs 38 and a positioning tab 39. The guide pins 32, bar 34, compression pegs 38 and positioning tab 39 are all integrally molded as part of the carrier plate from polybutadiene terephthalate.
The flexible circuit, as can be seen in
A generally rectangular hardboard 46, best seen in
A generally rectangular shaped interposer 50 is utilized in the assembly and includes a first side 52 having first conductor terminals 54 that provide a mating area for engagement with the conductor pads 11 of the flexible circuit and a second side 56 including second conductor terminals (not shown) that provide a mating area for establishing electrical connection with the conductor pads 13 of the printed circuit board 14. The interposer includes a pair of holes 60 in registration with the respective slots 44 formed in the flexible circuit 12 and the slots 48 in the hardboard 46 for also receiving the compression pegs 38.
The compression pegs 38 extend through the respective registered slots and openings to retain the hardboard, flex circuit and the interposer while also providing an extended peg portion extending beyond the interposer and forming a pair of positioning pegs 62 utilized to properly align the guide plate and connected hardboard, flexible circuit and interposer with the printed circuit board during the connection process. The hardboard 46 and the flexible circuit 12 can be positioned against the carrier plate with the respective compression pegs extending through the respective slots of the flexible circuit and the hardboard. The positioning tab 39 assures proper orientation of the hardboard/flexible circuit assembly as earlier described. The interposer 50 can then be placed against the flexible circuit with the compression pegs 38 extending through the holes 60 of the interposer to retain the interposer, flexible circuit and hardboard against the carrier plate. Because the positioning tab 39 does not extend from the bottom end 18 of the carrier plate beyond the thickness of the hardboard, the interposer may be placed over the compression pegs 38 in any orientation without interference from the positioning tab. The positioning pegs 62 are adapted to be received in a pair of receptacle areas or positioning openings 64 formed in the printed circuit board 14 to position the carrier plate and attached hardboard, flexible circuit and interposer for mechanical and electrical connection with the conductor pads 13 of the printed circuit board as later further discussed.
The actuator 20, further shown in
The actuator also includes a pair of parallel extending rails or slide portions 84 along the sides of its forward portion which are engaged by an extending lip 86 at the top of each of the respective guide pins 32.
The actuator further includes an elongated channel 88 formed by a pair of molded channel walls 90 extending perpendicular from the bottom surface 72 and running from the actuation bar 78 in a direction toward the front end 74. The channel walls extend approximately 60% of the distance from the actuation bar toward the front end of the actuator. The bar 34 of the carrier plate is received within the channel 88 for sliding movement between a disengaged or open position and an engaged or closed position. A stop block 91 is molded on the bottom surface of the actuator adjacent the front end in alignment with the elongated channel 88 formed by the channel walls and includes a front stop surface 92 which serves as a stop for the forward stop surface 35 of the bar 34 on the guide plate when the actuator is moved to its fully disengaged position. Additional ribs 93 are provided on the bottom surface of the actuator to provide engagement surfaces that are in contact with the carrier plate and for enhanced structural stability of the actuator.
The rearward main portion 66 of the actuator extends outward from the forward extending portion 68 to include a pair of L-shaped hook portions 94 adjacent the downwardly extending latches 80 to provide structural shrouds for the latches. The forward movement of the actuator is stopped when rearward stop surface 37 of the bar 34 engages the lower ridge 81 of the actuation bar 78. In this position, the extending end tabs 27 of the carrier plate protrude a short distance through the notches 83 in the lower ridge 81 of the actuation bar to provide visual and tactile verification that the actuator is in its fully engaged position. As long as the tabs 27 extend a greater distance than the width of the actuation bar 78, they will protrude from the notches 83. When the actuator is moved back in the rearward direction, the bar 34 slides within the channel 88 from the rearward portion of the actuator toward the forward portion until the bar engages the front stop surface 92 of the stop block 90 when the actuator is in its fully disengaged position. The actuator, including all of its integrally molded features, is formed from polycarbonate plus acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
The actuator also carries a stainless steel tension spring 96 on its forward extending portion which can be seen in
The front end 74 of the actuator includes a pair of inclined side portions 111 as shown in
As can be seen from
Turning now to
When the actuator is in its fully disengaged position, the forward stop surface 35 of the bar 34 abuts against the stop surface 92 of the stop block 91. With the actuator in this position, a portion of the bar is outside the channel 88 while the balance of the bar continues to be retained within the channel 88.
When the actuator is moved from its disengaged position to an engaged position, the lips of the guide pins 32 move along the rails 84 from the forward end of the actuator toward the rearward end of the actuator until the stop surface 37 of bar 34 engages the lower ridge 81 of the actuation bar 78 at which point the extending end tabs 27 protrude through the notches 83.
With the actuator in its fully disengaged position, the carrier plate may be positioned to be inserted within the cage structure as shown in
Once the carrier plate has been properly positioned with the positioning pegs 62 received within the positioning openings 64 as shown in
Once fully engaged and connected, the connector can be readily disengaged and disconnected by movement of the actuator 20 from its second position back to its first position which effects disengagement of the spring 96 from the top wall 114 of the cage and permits the carrier plate to be raised to remove the positioning pegs 62 from the positioning openings 64 of the printed circuit board. The connector can thereby be readily disconnected and, if desired, reconnected to secure good mechanical and electrical connection without the need to utilize loose or retained fastening hardware.
While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and substitutions may be made and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5211577 | Daugherty | May 1993 | A |
5676562 | Fukuda | Oct 1997 | A |
6007359 | Kosmala | Dec 1999 | A |
6846115 | Shang et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60963323 | Aug 2007 | US |