Patent Application
20240243497
The present disclosure relates to a connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting.
Patent Document 1 discloses a connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting. The terminal fitting includes a flat plate-like conductor path connecting portion. The conductor path connecting portion is connected to a front end part of the flat cable by soldering.
When the flat cable is pulled rearward, stress is generated in a connected part of the terminal fitting and the flat cable. If this stress is large, the connected part may be damaged.
Accordingly, the present disclosure aims to provide a connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting, the connection structure being capable of suppressing a reduction in connection reliability.
The present disclosure is directed to a connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting, the connection structure being provided with a flat cable and a terminal fitting to be connected to the flat cable, the flat cable including a first connecting portion located in a front end part of the flat cable and a second connecting portion located rearward of the first connecting portion, and the terminal fitting including a first welded portion to be welded to the first connecting portion and a second welded portion located rearward of the first welded portion and to be welded to the second connecting portion.
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting, the connection structure being capable of suppressing a reduction in connection reliability.
First, embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.
(1) The connection structure for connecting a flat cable and a terminal fitting is provided with a flat cable and a terminal fitting to be connected to the flat cable, the flat cable including a first connecting portion located in a front end part of the flat cable and a second connecting portion located rearward of the first connecting portion, and the terminal fitting including a first welded portion to be welded to the first connecting portion and a second welded portion located rearward of the first welded portion and to be welded to the second connecting portion.
According to the above configuration, when the flat cable is pulled rearward, stress generated in a connected part of the first connecting portion and the first welded portion can be alleviated by generating stress in a connected part of the second connecting portion and the second welded portion. Thus, even if an external force acts on the flat cable, the connection of the first connecting portion and the first welded portion can be satisfactorily maintained and a reduction in connection reliability can be suppressed.
(2) Preferably, the flat cable includes a bent portion between the first and second connecting portions, and the terminal fitting includes a resiliently deformable linking portion between the first and second welded portions.
According to the above configuration, when the flat cable is pulled rearward, the linking portion is resiliently deformed while the bent portion is deformed to extend. Thus, the stress generated in the connected part of the first connecting portion and the first welded portion can be more satisfactorily alleviated.
(3) The linking portion may be respectively linked to the first and second welded portions via a first boundary portion and a second boundary portion, and the first and second boundary portions may be both formed into a curve.
According to the above configuration, since the stress can be dispersed to each of the curved first and second boundary portions, stress generated in a connected part of the first and second connecting portions can be more satisfactorily alleviated.
(4) The flat cable may include a second reinforcing plate to be overlapped on the other surface of the second connecting portion when the second welded portion is welded to one surface of the second connecting portion.
According to the above configuration, since the second connecting portion is reinforced by the second reinforcing plate, the connection of the second connecting portion and the second welded portion can be strengthened. When an external force acts on the flat cable, the flat cable can be prevented from being broken in a part corresponding to the second connecting portion.
(5) The flat cable may include a first reinforcing plate to be overlapped on the other surface of the first connecting portion when the first welded portion is welded to one surface of the first connecting portion.
According to the above configuration, since the first connecting portion is reinforced by the first reinforcing plate, the connection of the first connecting portion and the first welded portion can be strengthened. By reinforcing the first connecting portion by the first reinforcing plate, the electrical connection reliability of the first connecting portion and the first welded portion can be further improved.
A specific example of an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these illustrations, but is represented by claims and intended to include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents.
This embodiment is provided with a flat cable 60 and terminal fittings 10. The terminal fitting 10 is electrically and mechanically connected to the flat cable 60. Note that, in the following description, an end side of the flat cable 60 to be connected to the terminal fittings 10 is referred to as a front side and an opposite side thereof is referred to as a rear side concerning a front-rear direction. A right side of
The flat cable 60 is a flat conductor and, in the case of this embodiment, constituted by a flexible printed circuit (FPC) board. Although not shown, the flat cable 60 includes a plurality of conductive paths formed on both surfaces or one surface of an insulation film and a protection film for covering the conductive paths.
As shown in
A front part of the flat cable 60 is accommodated into a connector housing 50 together with the plurality of terminal fittings 10. Further, the flat cable 60 has a part pulled out rearward from the connector housing 50. This flat cable 60 is held in the connector housing 50 by fitting projections 51 formed in the connector housing 50 into holes 63 formed in the body 61.
The terminal fitting 10 is formed by press-working an electrically conductive metal plate. This terminal fitting 10 is, as shown in
The terminal fitting 10 includes a base portion 12 in the form of a rectangular tube behind the box portion 10. A coupling portion 13 having a concave cross-section is provided between the box portion 11 and the base portion 12. The box portion 11 and the base portion 12 are coupled via the coupling portion 13.
As shown in
Further, as shown in
Both of the first and second welded portions 17, 18 have a rectangular cross-sectional shape and include the bottom plate 14, the both side plates 15 and the both ceiling plates 16. The first welded portion 17 is formed to be longer in the front-rear direction than the second welded portion 18 and, in the case of this embodiment, has a length equal to or more than twice the length of the second welded portion 18. The front end of each of lower parts of the both side plates 15 and the bottom plate 14 in the first welded portion 17 is integrally connected to the coupling portion 13.
As shown in
The rear end of each of the both side plates 15 and the both ceiling plates 16 in the first welded portion 17 constitutes a first end 23 along a vertical direction. The front end of each of the both side plates 15 and the both ceiling plates 16 in the second welded portion 18 constitutes a second end 24 along the vertical direction. The first and second ends 23, 24 are arranged at a certain interval and in parallel to each other.
The linking portion 19 includes the bottom plate 14, but does not include the both ceiling plates 16, thereby being open upward. Heights of the both side plates 15 of the linking portion 19 are equal to or less than half the heights of the both side plates 15 in the first and second welded portions 17, 18. The upper ends of the both side plates 15 of the linking portion 19 are continuously curved as a whole in a side view. Specifically, as shown in
As shown in
The connection strip 62 includes a bent portion 66 bent into an upward projecting chevron shape between the first and second connecting portions 64, 65. The bent portion 66 is arranged away from the linking portion 19 above the linking portion 19. The first connecting portion 64, the bent portion 66 and the second connecting portion 65 are successively and continuously formed from the front end of the connection strip 62 toward a rear side in a front end part of the flat cable 60.
A first reinforcing plate 71 having a higher rigidity than the first connecting portion 64 is disposed on an upper surface opposite to a surface to be soldered to the first joint surface 21, out of both surfaces of the first connecting portion 64 in the connection strip 62. Similarly, a second reinforcing plate 72 having a higher rigidity than the second connecting portion 65 is disposed on an upper surface opposite to a surface to be soldered to the second joint surface 22, out of both surfaces of the second connecting portion 65 in the connection strip 62.
The first and second reinforcing plates 71, 72 are both made of synthetic resin and in the form of strip plates extending in the front-rear direction, and attached to the upper surfaces of the respective first and second connecting portions 64, 65 via an adhesive material. The first connecting portion 64 is sandwiched and held between the first reinforcing plate 71 and the first welded portion 17. The second connecting portion 65 is sandwiched and held between the second reinforcing plate 72 and the second welded portion 18. The bent portion 66 is arranged between the rear end of the first reinforcing plate 71 and the front end of the second reinforcing plate 72.
The first reinforcing plate 71 has a length corresponding to the first connecting portion 64 in the front-rear direction and is arranged to be entirely overlapped on the entire first connecting portion 64. The second reinforcing plate 72 has a length exceeding the second connecting portion 65 in the front-rear direction and is so arranged that a front part is entirely overlapped on the entire second connecting portion 65 and a rear part projects rearward from the second connecting portion 65.
After the first and second welded portions 17, 18 are soldered and welded to the connection strip 62 of the flat cable 60, the flat cable 60 may be pulled rearward and a rearward external force F (see
Further, when the flat cable 60 is pulled rearward, the linking portion 19 is resiliently deformed while the bent portion 66 is deformed to extend, whereby the transmission of the external force F from the second welded portion 18 toward the first welded portion 17 can be suppressed. Particularly, since the first and second boundary portions 26, 27 of the linking portion 19 are both formed into a curve, stress generated in the linking portion 19 is efficiently dispersed to each of the first and second boundary portions 26, 27.
In the above way, the stress generated in the connected part of the first joint surface 21 of the first welded portion 17 and the second connecting portion 65 is alleviated. Further, since the first connecting portion 64 is reinforced by the first reinforcing plate 71, the first joint surface 21 of the first welded portion 17 and the first connecting portion 65 are satisfactorily maintained in a facing state. As a result, the electrical connection of the first welded portion 17 and the first connecting portion 64 is also satisfactorily maintained.
As described above, according to this embodiment, when the flat cable 60 is pulled rearward, stress generated in the connected part of the first connecting portion 64 and the first welded portion 17 can be alleviated. Thus, even if the external force Facts on the flat cable 60, the connection of the first connecting portion 64 and the first welded portion 17 can be satisfactorily maintained and a reduction in connection reliability can be suppressed.
In the above case, the linking portion 19 is resiliently deformed while the bent portion 66 is deformed to extend, whereby stress generated in the connected part of the first connecting portion 64 and the first welded portion 17 can be more satisfactorily alleviated.
Further, since the stress can be dispersed along the curved shapes of the respective first and second boundary portions 26, 27 in the linking portion 19, stress generated in the connected part of the first and second connecting portions 64, 65 can be more satisfactorily alleviated.
Furthermore, since the second connecting portion 65 is reinforced by the second reinforcing plate 72, the connection of the second connecting portion 65 and the second welded portion 18 can be strengthened. When the external force F acts on the flat cable 60, the flat cable 60 can be prevented from being broken in a part corresponding to the second connecting portion 65.
Moreover, since the first connecting portion 64 is reinforced by the first reinforcing plate 71, the connection of the first connecting portion 64 and the first welded portion 17 can be strengthened. As a result, the electrical connection reliability of the first connecting portion 64 and the first welded portion 17 can be further improved.
The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered illustrative in all aspects, rather than restrictive.
Although the terminal fitting is a female terminal in the case of the above embodiment, the terminal fitting may be a male terminal as another embodiment.
Although the bent portion is angularly bent in the case of the above embodiment, the bent portion may be bent to be arcuately curved as another embodiment.
Although the bent portion is bent upward away from the linking portion in the case of the above embodiment, the bent portion may be bent downward toward the linking portion as another embodiment.
Although the terminal fitting is connected to the flat cable by solder welding in the case of the above embodiment, the terminal fitting may be connected to the flat cable by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding as another embodiment.
Although the terminal fitting includes the resiliently deformable linking portion between the first and second welded portions in the case of the above embodiment, the terminal fitting may not include the resiliently deformable linking portion between the first and second welded portions as another embodiment if the terminal fitting is structured such that the second welded portion and the second connecting portion are mechanically stably connected.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-082090 | May 2021 | JP | national |
This application is a national phase of PCT application No. PCT/JP2022/Ol3347, filed on 23 Mar. 2022, which claims priority from Japanese patent application No. 2021-082090, filed on 14 May 2021, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2022/013347 | 3/23/2022 | WO |
