Patent Grant
11398689
The present invention relates to a connecting method, in particular, to a connecting method for electrically connecting a contact having conductivity to a flexible conductor extending in a given direction.
The present invention also relates to a connecting structure, a contact and a connector.
As a structure of connecting a contact to a conductive portion of a flexible substrate, for example, JP2017-182897A discloses a connector as shown in
In the cloth 3, a circular opening portion 4 is formed, and on the rear surface of the cloth 3, a plurality of band-shaped conductive portions 5 are arranged radially about the opening portion 4. The frame member 2 is also provided with a circular opening portion 6 having a substantially same size as that of the opening portion 4 in the cloth 3.
The base member 1 holds a plurality of contacts 7, and each of the contacts 7 is provided with a contact portion 7A at one end thereof and an external connection portion 7B at the other end thereof. Contact portions 7A of the contacts 7 are exposed on the front surface of the base member 1 while being arranged in the circumferential direction to form a circle with a smaller diameter than those of the opening portion 4 of the cloth 3 and the opening portion 6 of the frame member 2. External connection portions 7B of the contacts 7 are exposed on and project from the front surface of the base member 1 in a vicinity of the outer periphery of the base member 1.
In the vicinity of the outer periphery of the base member 1 on its front surface, a plurality of projections 8 are formed to project from the front surface of the base member 1, whereas the rear surface of the frame member 2 is provided with a plurality of fitting holes (not shown) corresponding to the external connection portions 7B of the contacts 7 and the projections 8.
The front surface of the base member 1 is brought into contact with the rear surface of the cloth 3, the base member 1 is aligned to the frame member 2, and the rear surface of the frame member 2 is brought into contact with the front surface of the cloth 3 such that one end of each of the conductive portions 5 near the opening portion 4 of the cloth 3 comes into contact with the corresponding external connection portion 7B of the base member 1; in this state, the frame member 2 is firmly pressed to the base member 1. Accordingly, the external connection portions 7B and the projections 8 of the base member 1 are fitted in the corresponding fitting holes of the frame member 2, with the cloth 3 being sandwiched therebetween, whereby the connector is attached to the cloth 3.
In this process, the conductive portions 5 of the cloth 3 are pressed into the corresponding fitting holes of the frame member 2 while being in contact with the external connection portions 7B of the corresponding contacts 7 of the base member 1 and are thus electrically connected to the contacts 7.
Meanwhile, the external connection portions 7B of the contacts 7 disposed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the front surface of the base member 1 are connected to one ends of the corresponding band-shaped conductive portions 5 that are radially arranged on the rear surface of the cloth 3, resulting in a problem that the arrangement pitch of the contacts 7 becomes large.
Although it would be possible to reduce the arrangement pitch of the contacts 7 by reducing the width of the band-shaped conductive portions 5 that are arranged on the rear surface of the cloth 3, it is required to ensure a certain width of the conductive portions 5 from the perspective of an amount of electrical conduction and conduction reliability, and therefore it has been difficult to configure a miniaturized connector.
In particular, since the conductive portions 5 comprising cloth conductors made of, for example, conductive fibers have the lower conductivity compared to a metallic conductor and have the smaller effective contact area compared to the occupancy area of the conductive portions 5 due to the uneven profile of its contact surface, the conductive portions 5 need to have a sufficient width, and therefore it is difficult to narrow the arrangement pitch of the contacts 7.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the conventional problem described above and is aimed at providing a connecting method for electrically connecting a contact having conductivity to a flexible conductor while realizing a narrower arrangement pitch when a plurality of contacts are arranged.
The present invention also aims at providing a connecting structure obtained by use of the connecting method, as well as a contact and a connector for use in the connecting method.
A connecting method according to the present invention is a connecting method for electrically connecting a contact having conductivity to a flexible conductor extending in a given direction, the connecting method comprising:
forming a first connection portion at an end portion of the flexible conductor by folding the end portion of the flexible conductor in halves along a folding line extending in the given direction; and
pressing the first connection portion with a contact-side connection portion of the contact from opposite sides in a thickness direction of the first connection portion to thereby electrically connect the contact to the flexible conductor.
A connecting structure according to the present invention is a connecting structure in which a contact having conductivity is electrically connected to a flexible conductor extending in a given direction,
wherein the flexible conductor includes a first connection portion that is formed by folding an end portion of the flexible conductor in halves along a folding line extending in the give direction,
wherein the contact includes a contact-side connection portion, and
wherein the first connection portion is pressed with the contact-side connection portion from opposite sides in a thickness direction of the first connection portion to thereby electrically connect the contact to the flexible conductor.
A contact according to the present invention is a contact having conductivity that is to be electrically connected to a flexible conductor extending in a given direction, the contact comprising:
a contact-side connection portion to be connected to a first connection portion that is formed at an end portion of the flexible conductor by folding the end portion of the flexible conductor in halves along a folding line extending in the given direction,
wherein the contact-side connection portion presses the first connection portion from opposite sides in a thickness direction of the first connection portion to be electrically connected to the flexible conductor.
A connector according to the present invention comprises:
a plurality of contacts having conductivity;
a plurality of flexible conductors connected to the plurality of contacts and each extending in a given direction; and
a housing for holding the plurality of contacts,
wherein each contact of the plurality of contacts includes:
a contact-side connection portion that is disposed at an end of the each contact and connected to a corresponding flexible conductor;
a contact portion that is disposed at another end of the each contact and comes into contact with a corresponding contact of a counter connector when the connector is fitted with the counter connector along a fitting axis; and
a holding portion that is disposed between the contact-side connection portion and the contact portion and is embedded in and held by the housing,
wherein each flexible conductor of the plurality of flexible conductors includes:
a first connection portion that is formed by folding an end portion lying in the given direction of the each flexible conductor in halves along a folding line extending in the given direction; and
a second connection portion that is disposed at another end portion in the given direction of the each flexible conductor, and
wherein the contact-side connection portion of the each contact presses the first connection portion of a corresponding flexible conductor from opposite sides in a thickness direction of the first connection portion, whereby the plurality of contacts are electrically connected to the plurality of flexible conductors.
Embodiments of the present invention are described below based on the appended drawings.
The flexible conductor 11 comprises conductive fibers formed into a band shape extending from the end portion 11A to the other end portion 11B, and a first connection portion 12 is disposed at the end portion 11A, while a second connection portion 13 is disposed at the other end portion 11B. The first connection portion 12 is formed of the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 that is folded in halves along a folding line BL extending in the given direction. The second connection portion 13 disposed at the other end portion 11B of the flexible conductor 11 is not folded in halves but planarly extends.
The contact 21 includes a contact-side connection portion 22 formed at one end of the contact 21, and the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11 is pressed with the contact-side connection portion 22 from opposite sides in the thickness direction of the first connection portion 12, whereby the contact 21 is electrically connected to the flexible conductor 11.
For ease of understanding, a plane along which the other end portion 11B of the flexible conductor 11 extends is called “XY plane,” the given direction in which the flexible conductor 11 extends from the other end portion 11B toward the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 “+Y direction,” and a direction extending perpendicularly to the XY plane “Z direction.”
The flexible conductor 11 is folded in halves along the folding line BL so that the resulting first connection portion 12 formed at the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 has a flat plate shape extending along the YZ plane. Accordingly, as illustrated in
The contact-side connection portion 22 of the contact 21 includes a pair of nipping pieces 22A independently disposed on the +X direction side and on the −X direction side of the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11. As illustrated in
Next, a method of manufacturing a connecting structure according to Embodiment 1 is described.
As illustrated in
Then, the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 is folded in halves along the folding line BL such that the front surface, facing the +Z direction, of the flexible conductor 11 forms a convex shape, and halves of the rear surface of the flexible conductor 11 are superposed to face each other. The flexible conductor 11 made of conductive fibers have the fiber direction in the Y direction that coincides with the folding line BL, which helps the flexible conductor 11 to be readily folded. Since the rear surface of the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 is coated with the adhesive 14, the halves of the rear surface are bonded together to form the first connection portion 12 in a flat plate shape extending along the YZ plane at the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11, as illustrated in
The contact 21 is formed of a metal sheet that is bent into a substantially L shape and includes a first extension portion 21A extending in the Y direction and a second extension portion 21B extending from the +Y directional end of the first extension portion 21A in the +Z direction, as illustrated in
The pair of nipping pieces 22A of the contact-side connection portion 22 separately extend in opposite directions, i.e., in the +X direction and the −X direction.
The end portion of the contact portion 23 is bent into a U shape at the +Z directional end of the second extension portion 21B.
While the contact 21 is aligned with respect to the flexible conductor 11 such that the contact-side connection portion 22 including the pair of nipping pieces 22A that separately extend in opposite directions comes into contact with the +Y directional end of the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11 at the edge of the first connection portion 12 on the +Z direction side, the pair of nipping pieces 22A are bent in the −Z direction to nip the first connection portion 12 as illustrated in
Since the flexible conductor 11 is connected to the contact 21 in such a manner that the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 is folded in halves along the folding line BL to form the first connection portion 12 in a flat plate shape extending along the YZ plane and that the contact-side connection portion 22 of the contact 21 presses the first connection portion 12 from opposite sides in the thickness direction of the first connection portion 12 that is the X direction, the occupancy area of the first connection portion 12 as viewed from the Z direction can be reduced, while the effective contact area between the flexible conductor 11 and the contact 21 can be secured.
A value of the arrangement pitch P of the contacts 21 is set such that the arrangement pitch P is wider than the width W1 of each of the first connection portions 12 of the flexible conductors 11 and narrower than the width W2 of each of the second connection portions 13 of the flexible conductors 11 when viewed in the direction along the fitting axis C1.
In addition, the connector includes an exterior member 41 covering the periphery of the housing 31 from the +Z direction, a circular upper cover 51 entirely covering the radially-arranged flexible conductors 11 from the +Z direction, and a circular lower cover 61 covering the first connection portions 12 of the radially-arranged flexible conductors 11 from the −Z direction.
The housing 31 and the exterior member 41 are made of an insulating resin, while the upper cover 51 and the lower cover 61 are made of flexible insulating fibers or a flexible insulating resin film.
The lower cover 61 has a diameter smaller than that of the upper cover 51, and as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first connection portions 12 of the flexible conductors 11, to which the contact-side connection portions 22 of the corresponding contacts 21 are separately connected, are held by the lower insulator 32, and the second extension portions 21B of the contacts 21 are held by the upper insulator 33.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The contact-holding grooves 33C and the through holes 33D are provided in the upper insulator 33 so as to independently correspond to the slots 32A of the lower insulator 32. In other words, the upper insulator 33 and the lower insulator 32 are configured such that, when the upper insulator 33 is disposed on the lower insulator 32, the slots 32A of the lower insulator 32 independently communicate with the corresponding through holes 33D and the corresponding contact-holding grooves 33C of the upper insulator 33.
As illustrated in
With the contacts 21 independently connected to the corresponding flexible conductors 11 being arranged in the X direction in two rows as illustrated in
The lower insulator 32 preliminarily formed by molding an insulating resin is moved from the −Z direction toward the +Z direction until the lower insulator 32 comes into contact with the surface of the upper insulator 33 on the −Z direction side, and the first connection portions 12 of the flexible conductors 11 connected to the contact-side connection portions 22 of the contacts 21 are independently inserted into the corresponding slots 32A of the lower insulator 32, whereby the housing 31 holding the contacts 21 is formed.
Subsequently, as illustrated in
At the center of the upper cover 51, an opening portion 51A to receive the base portion 33A of the upper insulator 33 is formed, and the upper cover 51 is disposed over the lower insulator 32, the first extension portions 21A of the contacts 21 and the flexible conductors 11, while the exterior member 41 is disposed over the base portion 33A of the upper insulator 33 and the upper cover 51. In addition, the lower cover 61 is disposed on the −Z direction side of the lower insulator 32 and the first connection portions 12 of the flexible conductors 11.
The connector as illustrated in
The connecting structure used in the connector manufactured in this manner connects the flexible conductor 11 to the contact 21 by pressing the first connection portion 12 in a flat plate shape that is formed by folding the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11 in halves along the folding line BL, from opposite sides in the thickness direction of the first connection portion 12, with the contact-side connection portion 22 of the contact 21 as illustrated in
The connector shown in
While the halves of the rear surface of the flexible conductor 11 that is folded along the folding line BL are bonded together with the adhesive 14 coated on the rear surface of the end portion 11A of the flexible conductor 11, the adhesive 14 may be replaced by, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape to bond the halves of the rear surface together.
Although the folded halves of the rear surface of the flexible conductor 11 need not be bonded together, it is preferable that the halves of the rear surface of the flexible conductor 11 are bonded together in order to prevent the first connection portions 12 of neighboring flexible conductors 11 from short-circuiting when the contacts 21 independently connected to the corresponding flexible conductors 11 are arranged at the arrangement pitch P.
The upper insulator 33 of the housing 31 is integrally formed with the plurality of contacts 21, but this is not the sole case. Also, by pressing the contacts 21 into the upper insulator 33 that has been preliminarily formed by molding an insulating resin, the configuration where the plurality of contacts 21 are held by the upper insulator 33 can be realized.
To the contacts 21 that have been incorporated into the upper insulator 33, the first connection portions 12 of the flexible conductors 11 independently corresponding to the contact-side connection portions 22 of the contacts 21 may be connected.
The contact 71 includes a contact-side connection portion 72 formed at one end of the contact 71, and the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11 is inserted into a slit 72A formed in the contact-side connection portion 72, whereby the contact 71 is electrically connected to the flexible conductor 11.
As illustrated in
The contact-side connection portion 72 bends from the −Y directional end of the first extension portion 21A toward the −Z direction to extend in the Z direction, and the slit 72A is formed from the −Z directional end of the contact-side connection portion 72 and extends in the Z direction.
When the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11 is inserted into the slit 72A, the first connection portion 12 is pressed with the inner faces of the slit 72A from opposite sides in the thickness direction of the first connection portion 12 that is the X direction, whereby the flexible conductor 11 and the contact 71 are electrically connected to each other.
With use of the connecting structure of Embodiment 2, it is also possible to narrow the arrangement pitch of a plurality of contacts 71 in the same manner as in Embodiment 1.
The contact 81 includes, in place of the second extension portion 21B of the contact 21 used in Embodiment 1, a second extension portion 81B having a shorter length in the Z direction than that of the second extension portion 21B, which second extension portion 81B is joined to the +Y directional end of the first extension portion 21A, and otherwise has the same configuration as that of the contact 21.
The +Z directional end of the second extension portion 81B bends toward the +Y direction and is provided with a planar contact portion 83 facing the +Z direction. The contact portion 83 is to be connected to a conductive portion of a circuit board (not shown) that extends along the XY plane on the +Z direction side of the contact 81 through soldering, for example.
With use of the connecting structure of Embodiment 3, the flexible conductor 11 can be connected to a circuit board and, at the same time, it is possible to narrow the arrangement pitch of a plurality of contacts 81 in the same manner as in Embodiment 1.
Note that the contact 81 achieves electrical connection with the flexible conductor 11 by pressing the pair of nipping pieces 22A of the contact-side connection portion 22 against the first connection portion 12 of the flexible conductor 11 from opposite sides in the thickness direction of the first connection portion 12 that is the X direction, as with the contact 21 used in Embodiment 1. In the meantime, the contact 81 may include, in place of the contact-side connection portion 22, the contact-side connection portion 72 having the slit 72A as with the contact 71 in Embodiment 2. Also with such configuration, the flexible conductor 11 can be connected to a circuit board, and at the same time, it is possible to narrow the arrangement pitch of a plurality of contacts 81.
Moreover, the shape of the contact portion 83 of the contact 81 is not limited to that illustrated in
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| JP2019-093645 | May 2019 | JP | national |
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20200366010 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
