1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors for a flat cable and its manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrical connector of this type is used by being attached to a circuit board. For a known electrical connector of this type, there is one disclosed in Japanese patent application Kokai No. 9-35828.
As FIG. 3 shows, in this connector, a flat cable (flexible board) 51 is inserted into an inserting space of an open mouth 53 in a direction of the flat cable surface, direction A, so as to be placed on contact sections 54A of terminals 54 which are arranged facing to the open mouth of a housing 52. In the figure, the terminals are made by stamping a metal sheet maintaining its flat surface, and are arranged with predetermined spacing in a perpendicular direction to the plane of the figure.
A pressure member 55 to open and close the open mouth is provided at the open mouth 53 of the housing 52, so as to freely turn around. The pressure member 55 enables the insertion of the flat cable 51 by opening the inserting space at the illustrated open position, and presses the inserted flat cable 51 so that the flat cable connects with a contact section 54A of the terminal at the closed position where the pressure member is turned downward.
The above-described terminal 54 has an upper arm 57 and a lower arm 58. The upper arm 57 is supported by an upper wall 52A of the housing 52, and has a bearing section 59 at its end, while the lower arm 58 has a contact section 54A at its end. The pressure member 55 is supported at circular end surface of the bearing section 59 of the terminals 54 so as to freely turn around.
There is a demand for a low-profile connector to miniaturize the electronic equipment where this type of connector is used, that is, a demand to be smaller in height direction in FIG. 3.
However, in the connector in FIG. 3, since an upper wall 52A of the housing supports the bearing section 59 which receives rotational force, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the upper wall 52A. Also, the bearing section 59 is positioned under the upper wall 52A, and its circular section protrudes downward, which make the connector high as a whole.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector for a flat cable which is low-profile, without impairing the strength of the bearing section.
The electrical connector according to the present invention has a plurality of terminals which are inserted from side to corresponding receiving slots, and arranged at a substantially box-shaped housing. The terminal has a contact section at a position facing to an open mouth of the housing. A pressure member which can freely turn around a rotational axis is provided at an opposite side of the contact section to a flat cable that is inserted from the open mouth and placed on the contact sections. The pressure member can freely turn over between an open position which opens an inserting space so as to enable insertion of the flat cable into the open mouth, and a closed position to press the flat cable to the contact sections closing the inserting space.
The electrical connector of the present invention has an opening on a part of an upper wall of the housing, and the opening is open towards an open mouth. The pressure member, which is supported by a bearing section formed at a support member held in the housing, so as to freely turn over, can move into the opening at a time of its turning over to the open position. An upper edge of the bearing section of the support member is positioned outer than an inner surface of the upper wall of the housing.
According to the present invention, since the upper edge of the part which has the bearing section of the support member is positioned outer than the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing, as described above, the height of the terminal is reduced, taking advantage of the thickness of the upper wall. In this case, the thickness of a portion around the bearing section is not reduced so that the strength of the bearing section is not impaired.
In the present invention, it is preferable that a lower wall of the housing covers substantially whole area of the lower surface so as to be placed on a circuit board where the electrical connector is to be attached. The support member can be a part of the terminal. In this case, the terminal has an upper arm and a lower arm which extend along inner walls of the upper wall and the lower wall respectively. The upper arm has a bearing section, and the lower arm has a contact section. At least the lower arm has flexibility towards the upper arm, and the upper and the lower arms are designed so as to be inserted and attached along the inner surfaces of the upper and the lower walls respectively.
Preferably, a lower edge of the lower arm of the terminal is slanted upward to its end. By this slanting, when the terminal is inserted from side to a receiving slot of the housing, the distance between the ends of the upper arm and the lower arm, which are inserting ends, is made smaller, so that it is easier to insert the terminal. At this time, it is further preferable that the lower arm has larger flexibility than the upper arm.
To manufacture the connector of the present invention, in a case that a support member is a terminal and has an upper and a lower arms, insert the terminal into a receiving slot in a manner that the upper and the lower arms are guided along the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls respectively, while deflecting the lower arm towards the upper arm. Then, when it is inserted to a predetermined position, the connector is completed by releasing the deflection of the lower arm.
Also, in a case that the lower arms is slanted upward to its end, after tilting the terminal downward so that the slant of the lower arm is parallel to the inner surface of the lower wall, start insertion of the terminal into the receiving slot in a manner that the slant section is guided to inner surface of the lower wall. Then, continue the insertion to the predetermined position by releasing the tilting of the lower arm so as to complete the manufacture of the connector.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds