Connectors

Abstract

The present invention is a connector applied to a flat wire. When the flat wire is introduced into an insertion port of the connector, the head end of the flat wire touches a first locking protrusion and a second locking protrusion of the connector, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm of the connector to be deformed, so that the first operating member and the second operating member of the connector move downward until the recessed notch of the flat wire corresponds to the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion of the connector, causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm of the connector to be reset by elastic force, locking the head end in the accommodation space, and being able to apply external force to the upper edge portion of the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be deformed, so that the head end is unlocked and separated from the accommodation space.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of a connector, in particular to a connector for automatically latching a flat wire. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditional connectors are intermediary connection components that connect wires to circuit boards. The advantage of a traditional connector is that it does not need to be physically soldered to the circuit board, allowing users to easily achieve electrical connection by plugging and unplugging.

[0003] In order to ensure that the connector and the wire can be in stable contact, a variety of connection methods have been developed, such as the automatic latching method, which allows the connector and the wire to be easily connected without falling off, and the aforementioned action will automatically latch during the process of inserting the wire into the connector to maintain the connection between the connector and the wire; however, due to the structural design of the traditional connector with automatic latching, the user does not know the exact position of the locking protrusion. In addition to waiting for the sound produced when the locking protrusion contacts, it is impossible to predict when the automatic latching will be completed from the appearance, and its absence may cause the user to mistakenly believe that the latching has been completed. Furthermore, for design engineers, unless the corresponding specifications of the connector are obtained, it is very difficult to understand where the recessed notch of the wire needs to be set. In addition, since the locking protrusion is generally adjacent to the end, it is possible that the automatic latching will fail when the elastic arm is elastically fatigued or the elastic force is insufficient.

[0004] Therefore, in view of this, the present invention proposes a connector to solve the defects caused by the traditional connector. [Summary of the invention]

[0005] The first object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can automatically lock a flat conductor (such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPC)) through a first elastic locking portion and a second elastic locking portion and release the lock by applying an external force.

[0006] A second objective of the present invention is to drive the first elastic locking portion and the second elastic locking portion separately or jointly according to the aforementioned connector, so as to achieve application in different usage scenarios.

[0007] The third object of the present invention is that according to the aforementioned connector, the locking protrusion of the elastic locking portion is formed on the lower edge portion of the operating member so that it faces the same force application direction as the upper edge portion of the operating member, thereby achieving the effect of direct force application without damage.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned and other purposes, the present invention provides a connector for use in a flat wire. The flat wire includes a wire end and two side edges at its head end, each having a recessed notch. The connector includes a housing, a terminal, a first elastic locking portion, and a second elastic locking portion. The housing forms a housing space, a first broken hole, a second broken hole, and an insertion port. The first broken hole, the second broken hole, and the insertion port respectively connect the housing space with the external space of the housing. The first broken hole and the second broken hole are respectively formed on a first surface of the housing, and the insertion port is formed on a second surface of the housing. The first surface is adjacent to the second surface. The terminal is arranged in the housing space. The terminal can electrically connect the wire end. The first elastic locking portion is arranged in the housing space and adjacent to a side edge of the housing. The first elastic locking portion includes a first operating member, a first locking protrusion, and a first elastic arm. The upper edge portion of the first operating member protrudes from the first broken hole and the lower edge portion of the first operating member is accommodated in the housing space. The upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the first operating member correspond in the same direction. The first locking protrusion is formed on the lower edge portion of the first operating member. The first elastic arm extends from the lower edge portion of the first operating member to the inner side of a third surface of the shell. The third surface corresponds to the first surface. And, the second elastic locking portion is arranged in the accommodating space and adjacent to the other side edge of the shell. The second elastic locking portion includes a second operating member, a second locking protrusion and a second elastic arm. The upper edge portion of the second operating member protrudes from the second hole and the lower edge portion of the second operating member is accommodated in the accommodating space. The upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the second operating member correspond in the same direction. The second locking protrusion is formed on the lower edge portion of the second operating member. The second elastic arm extends from the lower edge portion of the second operating member to the inner side of the third surface of the shell. The third surface corresponds to the first surface. When the flat wire is introduced into the insertion port, the head end touches the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be deformed, so that the first operating member and the second operating member move toward the third surface until the recessed notch corresponds to the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion, causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be reset by elastic force, locking the head end of the flat wire in the accommodating space, and applying external force to the upper edge portion of the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be deformed, so that the head end of the flat wire is unlocked and detached from the accommodating space.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the connector provided by the present invention is applied to a flat wire, so that the flat wire can be automatically locked in the accommodating space of the connector and electrically connected to the terminal in the accommodating space; in addition, by applying an external force to the upper edge of the operating member outside the accommodating space of the connector, the lower edge of the operating member (that is, forming a locking protrusion) can be directly driven, so that the external force can be applied to the locking protrusion with almost no loss or no loss.

[0010] Compared to traditional connectors, the insertion depth of the flat wire must exceed the operating member (that is, a predetermined specific depth) in order to execute the automatic latching. The locking protrusion of the present invention is adjacent to the insertion port of the shell, especially at the lower edge of the operating member, which can effectively and flexibly adjust the insertion depth of the shell without being limited to a specific depth to achieve the effect of activating the automatic latching.

[0011] In addition, since the locking protrusion of the present invention directly corresponds to the upper edge of the operating member, the user can easily understand how deep the flat wire is inserted to achieve the effect of automatic latching.

[0012] The specific technology adopted by the present invention will be further described through the following embodiments and attached drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This invention is described Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flat wire.

[0015] Figure 3 This invention is described Figure 1 A first structural schematic diagram of an operating member.

[0016] Figure 4 This invention is described Figure 1 A second structural schematic diagram of the operating member.

[0017] Main component symbols:

[0018] 2 Flat wires

[0019] 22 Wire end

[0020] 24 Headend

[0021] 26 Side edge

[0022] 28 Concave notch

[0023] 10 Connectors

[0024] 12 Housing

[0025] 122 First Hole

[0026] 124 The Second Hole

[0027] 126 Insertion port

[0028] 128 First Surface

[0029] 1210 Second Surface

[0030] 1212 Third Surface

[0031] 1214 The Fourth Surface

[0032] 1216 First side edge

[0033] 1218 Second side edge

[0034] 1220 First inner side

[0035] 1222 Second inner side

[0036] 14 terminals

[0037] 16 first elastic locking portion

[0038] 162 First operating element

[0039] 1622 Upper edge

[0040] 1624 Lower edge

[0041] 1626 Common operating parts

[0042] 16222 Operating parts

[0043] 16224 Extension

[0044] 164 First locking protrusion

[0045] 1642 Guide slope

[0046] 166 First elastic arm

[0047] 1662 Elastic Base

[0048] 18 second elastic locking portion

[0049] 182 Second operating element

[0050] 1822 Upper edge

[0051] 1824 Lower edge

[0052] 1826 Common operating parts

[0053] 18222 Operating parts

[0054] 18224 Extension

[0055] 184 Second locking protrusion

[0056] 1842 Guide ramp

[0057] 186 Second elastic arm

[0058] 1862 Elastic Base

[0059] SP Accommodation Space

[0060] OSP External Space [Specific implementation method]

[0061] In order to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail by means of the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The description is as follows:

[0062] In the present invention, "a" or "an" is used to describe the units, elements and components described herein. This is only for the convenience of description and to provide a general meaning to the scope of the present invention. Therefore, unless it is obvious that it is otherwise intended, such description should be understood to include one, at least one, and the singular also includes the plural.

[0063] In the present invention, the terms "comprise", "include", "have", "contain" or any other similar terms are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, an element, structure, article or device containing multiple elements is not limited to the elements listed herein, but may include other elements that are not explicitly listed but are generally inherent to the element, structure, article or device. In addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the term "or" refers to an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or".

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of the structure of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the connector 10 can be applied to the flat conductor 2. Figure 2 The flat wire 2 includes a wire end 22 and two side edges 26 of a head end 24 of the flat wire 2, each of which has a recessed notch 28 formed thereon.

[0065] The connector 10 includes a housing 12 , a terminal 14 , a first elastic locking portion 16 and a second elastic locking portion 18 .

[0066] The shell 12 also forms a storage space SP, a first hole 122, a second hole 124 and an insertion port 126. The material of the shell 12 can be an insulating material. In the present embodiment, the shape of the shell 12 is a cuboid. In other embodiments, the shape of the shell 12 can be flexibly adjusted according to the situation. Here, for the convenience of explanation, the various surfaces of the shell 12 are defined. The shell 12 provides a first surface 128, a second surface 1210, a third surface 1212, a fourth surface 1214, a first side edge 1216, a second side edge 1218, a first inner side 1220 and a second inner side 1222. In addition, the first hole 122 and the second hole 124 and the insertion port 126 respectively communicate the storage space SP with the external space OSP of the shell 12. In the present embodiment, the first hole 122 and the second hole 124 are respectively formed on the two side edges of the first surface 128 and are adjacent to the insertion port 126. Among them, the insertion port 126 is formed on the second surface 1210. The first surface 128 is adjacent to the second surface 1210 .

[0067] The terminal 14 is disposed in the accommodation space SP and is used to be electrically connected to the wire end 22 so that the signal of the flat wire 2 can be used to transmit data. The wire end 22 has the characteristics of data transmission and grounding.

[0068] The first elastic locking portion 16 and the second elastic locking portion 18 are symmetrically arranged and have the same structure. Therefore, the first elastic locking portion 16 is used as an example for explanation, and the second elastic locking portion 18 also has the same structure and description as the first elastic locking portion 16 due to the symmetry. Here, except for the special mention of the relationship between the second elastic locking portion 18 and the first elastic locking portion 16, the rest of the reference numerals and descriptions can be regarded as the same.

[0069] The first elastic locking portion 16 is disposed in the accommodating space SP and adjacent to the first side edge 1216 of the housing 12. The first elastic locking portion 16 further includes a first operating member 162, a first locking protrusion 164, and a first elastic arm 166; and the second elastic locking portion 18 is disposed in the accommodating space SP and adjacent to the second side edge 1218 of the housing 12. The second elastic locking portion 18 further includes a second operating member 182, a second locking protrusion 184, and a second elastic arm 186.

[0070] In the first elastic locking portion 16, the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 protrudes from the first hole 122 and the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 is accommodated in the accommodation space SP. The upper edge portion 1622 and the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 correspond to each other in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the upper edge portion 1622 of the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 is in a T-shape and the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 is in a C-shape. In other words, the structural shape of the first operating member 162 is a combination of a T-shape and a C-shape.

[0071] You can also refer to Figure 3 , is to illustrate the present invention Figure 1 A first structural diagram of an operating member. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 is composed of the operating member 16222 and the extension member 16224. The first operating member 162 is connected to the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 through the bent extension member 16224.

[0072] You can also refer to Figure 4 , is to illustrate the present invention Figure 1 A second structural diagram of the operating member. Figure 4 In the embodiment, the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 and the upper edge portion 1822 of the second operating member 18 are connected through the common operating member 1626, and the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 is connected to the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 from the common operating member 1626 through the extension member 16224. In this embodiment, the area of ​​the common operating member 1626 adjacent to the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 and the upper edge portion 1822 of the second operating member 182 is smaller than the area of ​​the central area of ​​the common operating member 1626. In other embodiments, the area of ​​the common operating member 1626 adjacent to the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 and the upper edge portion 1822 of the second operating member 182 is equal to or larger than the area of ​​the central area of ​​the common operating member 1626.

[0073] Back to Figure 1 The first locking protrusion 164 is formed at the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162. The first locking protrusion 164 is trapezoidal in shape and has a guiding slope 1642 toward the insertion port 126, which facilitates the flat wire 2 to slide into the accommodation space SP.

[0074] The first elastic arm 166 extends from the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 to the first inner side 1220 of the housing 12. The first inner side 1220 is located on the inner side of the third surface 1212. In addition, in the present embodiment, the first elastic arm 166 further includes an elastic base 1662, which forms an end of the first elastic arm 166 not connected to the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162. The elastic base 1662 can be fixed to the first inner side 1220. Figure 3 , the first elastic arm 166 extends horizontally from the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162; and, with reference to Figure 4 The first elastic arm 166 can also extend from the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 toward the first surface 128. Figure 3 and Figure 4 In addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, the first elastic arm 166 extending from the lower edge portion 1624 of the first operating member 162 may also be a combination of the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, the first elastic arm 166 first extends in the horizontal direction and then extends in the direction of the first surface 128 .

[0075] The parts not mentioned in the second elastic locking portion 18 can be referred to the description of the first elastic locking portion 16 , and will not be described in detail here.

[0076] Therefore, when the flat wire 2 is introduced into the insertion port 126, the head end 24 touches the first locking protrusion 164 and the second locking protrusion 184, respectively causing the first elastic arm 166 and the second elastic arm 186 to deform, so that the first operating member 162 and the second operating member 182 move toward the third surface 1212 until the recessed notch 28 corresponds to the first locking protrusion 164 and the second locking protrusion 184, which will further cause the first elastic arm 166 and the second elastic arm 186 to reset by elastic force, locking the head end 24 of the flat wire 2 in the accommodation space SP, and the external force F can be applied to the upper edge portion 1622 of the first operating member 162 and the upper edge portion 1822 of the second operating member 182, respectively causing the first elastic arm 166 and the second elastic arm 186 to deform, so that the head end 24 of the flat wire 2 is unlocked and can be separated from the accommodation space SP. The aforementioned separation action can also be accelerated by the user pulling.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present invention are disclosed as described above, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the relevant art may make slight changes to the shapes, structures, features, methods and quantities described in the claims of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the claims attached to this specification.

Claims

1. A connector is used for a flat wire, wherein the flat wire has a wire end and two side edges of the head end thereof respectively have recessed notches, characterized in that: The connector comprises: A shell, forming a housing space, a first hole, a second hole and an insertion port, wherein the first hole, the second hole and the insertion port are respectively connected to the housing space and an external space of the shell, the first hole and the second hole are respectively formed on a first surface of the shell, and the insertion port is formed on a second surface of the shell, wherein the first surface is adjacent to the second surface; A terminal is disposed in the accommodation space, and the terminal is electrically connected to the wire end; A first elastic locking portion is disposed in the accommodation space and adjacent to the side edge of the shell, the first elastic locking portion having a first operating member, a first locking protrusion and a first elastic arm, the upper edge of the first operating member protrudes from the first hole and the lower edge of the first operating member is accommodated in the accommodation space, the upper edge and the lower edge of the first operating member correspond to each other in the same direction, the first locking protrusion is formed at the lower edge of the first operating member, and the first elastic arm extends from the lower edge of the first operating member to the inner side of the third surface of the shell; as well as A second elastic locking portion is disposed in the accommodation space and adjacent to the other side edge of the shell, the second elastic locking portion having a second operating member, a second locking protrusion and a second elastic arm, the upper edge of the second operating member protrudes from the second hole and the lower edge of the second operating member is accommodated in the accommodation space, the upper edge and the lower edge of the second operating member correspond to each other in the same direction, the second locking protrusion is formed at the lower edge of the second operating member, and the second elastic arm extends from the lower edge of the second operating member to the inner side of the third surface of the shell; The flat wire is introduced into the insertion port, and the head end touches the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be deformed, so that the first operating member and the second operating member move toward the third surface until the recessed notch corresponds to the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion, causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be reset by elastic force, locking the head end of the flat wire in the accommodating space, and applying external force to the upper edge portion of the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member, respectively causing the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm to be deformed, so that the head end of the flat wire is unlocked and detached from the accommodating space.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper edge of the first operating member and the upper edge of the second operating member are in a T-shape, and the lower edge of the first operating member and the lower edge of the second operating member are in a C-shape.

3. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper edge portion of the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member are respectively composed of an operating member and an extension member, and the operating member connects the lower edge portion of the first operating member and the lower edge portion of the second operating member through the bent extension member.

4. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper edge portion of the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member are connected through a common operating member, and the lower edge portion of the first operating member and the lower edge portion of the second operating member are connected from the common operating member to the lower edge portion of the first operating member and the lower edge portion of the second operating member through the extending member respectively.

5. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The area of ​​the upper edge portion of the co-operating member adjacent to the first operating member and the upper edge portion of the second operating member is not greater than the area of ​​the central region of the co-operating member.

6. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic arm and the second elastic arm further include an elastic base, forming an end of the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm that is not connected to the lower edge portion of the first operating member and the lower edge portion of the second operating member, and the elastic base is fixed on the inner side of the third surface.

7. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic arm and the second elastic arm extend horizontally from the lower edge of the first operating member and the lower edge of the second operating member respectively.

8. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic arm and the second elastic arm extend from the lower edge of the first operating member and the lower edge of the second operating member toward the first surface respectively.

9. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic arm and the second elastic arm extend from the lower edge of the first operating member and the lower edge of the second operating member toward the horizontal direction respectively and then extend toward the first surface direction.

10. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that The first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion have a trapezoidal structure, and the first locking protrusion and the second locking protrusion have a guiding inclined surface toward the insertion port.

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