Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6475026
-
Patent Number
6,475,026
-
Date Filed
Monday, December 10, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, November 5, 200221 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 495
- 439 329
- 439 570
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) connector (1) includes an insulative housing (2), a number of electrical contacts (3) accommodated in the insulative housing, an actuator (4) and a pair of mounting pads (5) retained to the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a receiving cavity (203) and a pair of guiding holes (220). The actuator includes a tongue (400) extending into the receiving cavity to press an inserted flexible flat cable (6) to electrically connect with the electrical contacts and a pair of side latches (44) extending into the guiding holes. The side latches have projections (441) engageable with stoppers (221) of the insulative housing to locate the FFC connector in an open position and recesses (442) engageable with latch blocks (224) of the insulative housing to locate the FFC connector in a closed position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a flat flexible cable (FFC) connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flat flexible cables (FFCs) are widely used to connect components, such as a printed circuit board, arranged in a confined space inside an electronic device, such as a computer, for reducing the overall size of the electronic device. An FFC may be directly connected to a circuit board by soldering. Alternatively, an FFC connector may be used to connect an FFC to a circuit board.
A conventional FFC connector usually comprises an insulative housing defining a receiving cavity for movably receiving an actuator. The actuator has a tongue insertable into the receiving cavity and a top face for retaining a leading end of a flat flexible cable whereby when the tongue is inserted into the cavity, the flat flexible cable engages with resilient arms of electrical contacts accommodated in the receiving cavity. Two side latches are formed on opposite ends of the actuator and each side latch is formed with an inwardly extending barb on a free end thereof. The barb respectively engages with a projection and a stop formed in a guiding slot of the insulative housing to retain the actuator at a closed position and an open position, respectively.
Since the barbs of the side latches engages with both the projections and the stops of the insulative housing to respectively locate the FFC connector at the closed and the open positions, it is apt for them to yield or even be destroyed after long-term insertion/retreating of the actuator into/from the receiving cavity of the insulative housing, thereby interrupting the electrical connection between the electrical contacts and the inserted FFC.
Therefore, an improved FFC connector is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A major object of the present invention is to provide an FFC connector having long-term durable side latches.
An FFC connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of electrical contacts, an actuator and a pair of mounting pads retained to the insulative housing. The insulative housing defines a receiving cavity and a pair of guiding holes beside the receiving cavity. The electrical contacts are accommodated in the insulative housing and each has an arm extending into the receiving cavity. The actuator comprises a tongue extending into the receiving cavity to press an inserted FFC against the arms of the electrical contacts and a pair of side latches extending into the guiding holes. Each side latch comprises a projection engageable with a stopper of the insulative housing to locate the FFC connector in an open position and a recess engageable with a latch block of the insulative housing to locate the FFC connector in a closed position.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a partially exploded view of an FFC connector in accordance with the present invention with all but one electrical contact being assembled to an insulative housing thereof;
FIG. 2
is an assembled perspective view of the insulative housing and an actuator of the FFC connector of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the actuator of the FFC connector of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
is a top planar view of the assembled FFC connector of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
is a bottom planar view of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 6
is a front planar view of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of the FFC connector at an open position and shown with presence of an FFC;
FIG. 7A
is a view similar to
FIG. 7
but the FFC has been inserted into the FFC connector at a closed position;
FIG. 8
is a front view of the insulative housing of the electrical connector of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 9
is a cross-sectional view taken from line
9
—
9
of
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 10
is a rear planar view of the insulative housing;
FIG. 11
is a cross-sectional view taken from line
11
—
11
of
FIG. 10
;
FIG. 12
is a cross-sectional view taken from line
12
—
12
of
FIG. 6
showing that the FFC connector is at the closed position; and
FIG. 13
is a cross-sectional view taken from line
12
—
12
of
FIG. 6
showing that the FFC connector is at the open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIG. 1
, an FFC connector
1
in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing
2
, a plurality of electrical contacts
3
, an actuator
4
and a pair of mounting pads
5
.
Referring also to FIGS.
2
and
8
-
11
, the insulative housing
2
comprises a body portion
20
and a pair of shoulders
22
formed on two opposite sides of the body portion
20
. The body portion
20
defines a top wall
200
, a bottom wall
201
(see
FIG. 5
) opposite to the top wall
200
, a pair of opposite side walls
202
connecting the top and the bottom walls
200
,
201
, and a receiving cavity
203
confined by the top, the bottom and the side walls
200
,
201
,
202
. The top and the bottom walls
200
,
201
define a plurality of parallel passageways
205
exposed to the receiving cavity
203
. Each side wall
202
defines a slit
204
vertically extending through the top wall
200
and the bottom wall
201
.
The shoulders
22
define a pair of guiding holes
220
extending therethrough and separated from the receiving cavity
203
by corresponding side walls
202
, respectively. A stopper
221
protrudes inwardly from an inner surface
222
of an outer side
223
of each shoulder
22
into a front and lower section of the guiding hole
220
and a latch block
224
protrudes inwardly from the inner surface
222
of the outer side
223
of each shoulder
22
into a rear and upper section of the guiding hole
220
. Each latch block
224
comprises a rearwardly slanting surface
226
ascending rearwardly therefrom and a forwardly slanting surface
225
descending rearwardly from an upper portion of the rearwardly slanting surface
226
.
Referring also to FIGS.
4
and
7
-
7
A, each electrical contact
3
comprises a mounting portion
30
mounting the electrical contact
3
to the insulative housing
2
, an upper resilient arm
31
, a lower resilient arm
32
and a solder tail
33
. The upper and the lower resilient arms
31
,
32
extend parallelly and forwardly from the mounting portion
30
. The lower resilient arm
32
is formed with a barb
320
to retain the lower resilient arm
32
in the passageway
205
of the bottom wall
201
of the insulative housing
2
and the upper resilient arm
31
extends resiliently from the passageway
205
of the top wall
200
into the receiving cavity
203
. The solder tail
33
extends rearwardly from a lower portion of the mounting portion
30
in a direction opposite to the upper and the lower resilient arms
31
,
32
beyond the insulative housing
2
to, after soldered to a printed circuit board (not shown) to which the electrical connector
1
is mounted, mount the electrical connector
1
to the printed circuit board.
Referring also to
FIG. 3
, the actuator
4
comprises a base portion
40
, a pair of blocks
42
formed on two opposite sides of the base portion
40
and a pair of side latches
44
protruding from the blocks
42
. The base portion
40
comprises a tongue
400
extending rearwardly beyond the blocks
42
. The blocks
42
extend vertically higher than the tongue
400
to define a receiving space
45
therebetween and above the tongue
400
. Each side latch
44
extends slightly outwardly toward a free end
440
thereof and comprises an outward projection
441
adjacent to the free end
440
. A recess
442
is defined between the projection
441
and the free end
440
.
Each mounting pad
5
comprises a retention portion
50
and an L-shaped mounting portion
52
extending perpendicularly from the retention portion
50
. The retention portion
50
is formed with a plurality of barbs
500
on opposite sides thereof. The L-shaped mounting portion
52
defines a hole
520
extending therethrough.
In assembly, the electrical contacts
3
are inserted into and retained in the insulative housing
2
in ways known to one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. The retention portions
50
of the mounting pads
5
are retained in the slits
204
of the side walls
202
with the aid of the barbs
500
. The mounting portions
52
, as shown in
FIG. 5
, abut against bottom surfaces of the shoulders
22
and extend outwardly beyond outer lateral ends of the shoulders
22
. The mounting portions
52
, after soldered to the printed circuit board, reliably retain the FFC connector
1
on the printed circuit board. The side latches
44
of the actuator
4
are inserted into the guiding holes
220
of the shoulders
22
and the tongue
400
of the base portion
40
of the actuator
4
extends into the receiving cavity
203
and between the upper and the lower resilient arms
31
,
32
of the electrical contacts
3
.
Referring to
FIGS. 6-7A
and
12
-
13
, in use, an FFC
6
, as shown in
FIG. 7A
, is inserted through a receiving space
45
of the actuator
4
into the receiving cavity
203
and is located between a top of the tongue
400
and the upper resilient arms
31
of the electrical contacts
3
to electrically contact with the electrical contacts
3
in ways known to persons skilled in the pertinent art. The recesses
442
of the side latches
44
, as is shown in
FIG. 12
, engage with the latch blocks
224
to retain the FFC
6
in the FFC connector
1
and to locate the FFC connector
1
in a closed position. As is clearly shown in
FIG. 12
, since the side latch
44
extends slightly outwardly toward the free end
440
thereof, a gap
227
is defined between a rear portion thereof and an inner face of the side wall
202
in the closed position.
When the FFC connector
1
is intended to be at an open position to receive the FFC
6
into or remove the FFC
6
from the receiving cavity
203
, an external push force is exerted on the actuator
4
and the recesses
442
of the side latches
44
are forced to escape from the engagement with the latch blocks
224
by way of the free ends
440
sliding through the forwardly slanting surfaces
225
of the latch blocks
224
and retreating into the guiding holes
220
due to the existence of the gap
227
, until the projections
441
are, as is shown in
FIG. 13
, engaged with the stoppers
221
to prevent the actuator
4
separating from the insulative housing
2
.
Since the recesses
442
and the projections
441
of the side latches
44
engage with the latch blocks
224
and the stoppers
221
of the insulative housing
2
, respectively, to locate the FFC connector
1
at the closed and the open positions, the possibility of failure of the side latches
44
is reduced and an electrical connection between the FFC
6
and the electrical contacts
3
of the FFC connector
1
is ensured. On the other hand, the recesses
442
, the projections
441
, the latch blocks
224
and the stoppers
221
can also be other forms so long as they could engage respectively with each other and respectively locate the FFC connector
1
in an open and a closed positions.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Claims
- 1. A flexible flat cable connector comprising:an insulative housing defining a receiving cavity and a pair of guiding holes; a plurality of electrical contacts being accommodated in the insulative housing, each electrical contact comprising a first arm retained to the insulative housing and a second arm extending in the receiving cavity of the insulative housing; and an actuator comprising a tongue extending into the receiving cavity for pressing an inserted flat flexible cable against the second arms of the electrical contacts, and a pair of side latches extending into the guiding holes, each side latch comprising a first portion engageable with the insulative housing to locate the flexible flat cable connector at an open position and a second portion engageable with the insulative housing to locate the flexible flat cable connector at a closed position: wherein the first portion of each side latch is a projection adjacent to a free end thereof and the insulative housing comprises a stopper protruding into each guiding hole to engage with the projection; wherein the second portion of each side latch is a recess defined between the projection and the free end and the insulative housing comprises a latch block protruding into each guiding hole to engage with the recess; wherein the guiding holes are separated from the receiving cavity by a pair of side walls and a gap is defined between the side latch and the side wall when the flexible flat cable connector is located at the closed position; further comprising a pair of mounting pads each comprising a retention portion retained to the insulative housing and a mounting portion connected to the retention portion and abutting against a bottom surface of the insulative housing, and wherein the guiding holes are separated from the receiving cavity by a pair of side walls, wherein each side wall defines a slit to retain the retention portion of the mounting pad therein, wherein the actuator comprises a pair of blocks from which the side latches extend and each side latch comprises a free end and extends outwardly toward the free end thereof.
US Referenced Citations (5)