FPC connector and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses an FPC connector and a manufacturing method thereof, and the FPC connector comprises an insulator, a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes embedded in the peripheral part of the insulator and a shell for mounting the insulator; the shell is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA; the elastic conductive electrodes are not conductive to each other, the shell is provided with a first opening and a second opening for exposing the elastic conductive electrodes, and the shell and the elastic conductive electrodes have a gap; when the FPC terminal is inserted into the gap through the first opening, the shell and the elastic conductive electrodes clamp and fix the FPC terminal. The FPC connector provided by the application avoids the welding connection mode in the use process, so that the operation process is more convenient; and the FPC terminal can be prevented from being scratched or damaged in the plugging process; in addition, the conduction stability can be improved, the requirement for the size precision of the FPC terminal is reduced, and the application range is expanded.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic accessories, more particularly, to an FPC connector. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of miniaturization and lightness of electronic components, FPC connectors have been widely used in various fields, but the structure of the existing FPC connector is relatively complex and requires a higher manufacturing process.

[0003] At present, the terminal part of many FPC or capacitive membrane switches is a printed carbon paste layer, which is easy to be worn by the metal terminal during the plugging process of the terminal and the connector. The specification of the FPC connector is relatively fixed, and the cost of small-batch customization will be very high, which is difficult to meet the needs of some special fields.

[0004] The existing FPC connector 05 in use, as shown in Figure 1 , includes a connector terminal 01, a connector plastic body 02, a connector welding piece 03 and a connector locking piece 04, which needs to be connected by welding the PCBA and the connector welding piece 03, which is not convenient to operate and will produce pollution in the production process.

[0005] In summary, how to improve the convenience of the FPC connector in use is a problem that needs to be solved by the technical personnel in the field at present. SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide an FPC connector which can be connected with the PCBA through the connecting part on the shell in use, and the elastic conductive electrode is exposed from the second opening and contacts the contact electrode of the PCBA; the FPC terminal is inserted into the gap between the shell and the elastic conductive electrode, so that the FPC terminal and the elastic conductive electrode are in conduction; the connection process of the FPC and the PCBA is more convenient, avoiding the welding operation process; and the elastic conductive electrode has a certain elasticity, and the FPC terminal and the elastic conductive electrode are in flexible contact, which can avoid scratching the FPC terminal during plugging.

[0007] Another purpose of the present application is to provide a manufacturing method for the above-mentioned FPC connector.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides the following technical scheme:

[0009] An FPC connector, comprising: an insulator, a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes embedded in the peripheral part of the insulator, and a shell for mounting the insulator; the shell is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA;

[0010] The elastic conductive electrodes are not conductive to each other, the shell is provided with a first opening and a second opening for exposing the elastic conductive electrodes;

[0011] The shell and the elastic conductive electrodes have a gap therebetween, when the FPC terminal is inserted into the gap through the first opening, the shell and the elastic conductive electrodes clamp and fix the FPC terminal.

[0012] Preferably, the elastic conductive electrode is a conductive rubber elastic conductive electrode.

[0013] Preferably, the elastic conductive electrode is an arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode, and the central angle of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode ranges from 90° to 360°.

[0014] Preferably, the radius of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode ranges from 1.5 mm to 5 mm.

[0015] Preferably, the insulator is a columnar structure, and a plurality of the elastic conductive electrodes are arranged in parallel on the outer circumferential side of the columnar structure.

[0016] Preferably, the insulator is an elastic rubber insulator or a rigid plastic insulator.

[0017] Preferably, the two ends of the insulator in the length direction are provided with columnar protrusions, and the shell is provided with mounting grooves matched with the columnar protrusions.

[0018] Preferably, the insulator and the shell are integrally injection molded.

[0019] Preferably, the connecting part is a buckle structure or a riveting structure or a connecting screw.

[0020] A manufacturing method for manufacturing the FPC connector described in any one of the above, comprising:

[0021] Injection molding the insulator;

[0022] Fixing the insulator in a rubber molding mold;

[0023] Combining the elastic conductive electrode with the insulator by pressing or injection molding process;

[0024] Cutting off the excess elastic conductive electrode;

[0025] Mounting the insulator provided with the elastic conductive electrode to the shell.

[0026] In the process of using the FPC connector provided by the application, firstly, the connecting part of the shell is fixedly connected with the PCBA, then the PCBA contact electrode can pass through the second opening and contact and conduct with the elastic conductive electrode; the FPC terminal passes through the first opening and extends into the gap between the shell and the elastic conductive electrode, since the elastic conductive electrode has a certain elasticity, a certain elastic deformation is generated, the FPC terminal is fixed by the elastic force, so that the FPC terminal is in conduction with the elastic conductive electrode.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the FPC connector provided by the application avoids the welding connection mode in the process of use, so that the operation process is more convenient; and the FPC terminal and the elastic conductive electrode are in flexible contact, so that the FPC terminal can be prevented from being scratched or damaged in the process of plugging and unplugging; in addition, the FPC terminal is fixed by the elastic deformation force of the elastic conductive electrode, so that the conduction stability can be improved, the requirement for the size precision of the FPC terminal is reduced, the application range is expanded; the FPC connector has a simple structure, low manufacturing cost and strong design flexibility, and is conducive to realizing customized production of different size specifications.

[0028] In addition, the application further provides a manufacturing method applied to the FPC connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only constitute the embodiments of the application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the basis of the provided drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a structure schematic view of the FPC and the PCBA connection in the prior art;

[0031] Figure 2 It is a structure schematic view of the specific embodiment of the FPC connector provided by the application;

[0032] Figure 3 It is Figure 2 It is a structure schematic view of the insulator and the elastic conductive electrode in the embodiment;

[0033] Figure 4 It is Figure 2 It is a structure schematic view of the shell in the embodiment;

[0034] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the specific embodiment one of the FPC connector provided by the application;

[0035] Figure 6A cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the FPC connector according to the present application;

[0036] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the FPC connector according to the present application;

[0037] Figure 8 An installation structure diagram of the FPC connector according to the present application;

[0038] Figure 9 A flowchart of the manufacturing method of the FPC connector according to the present application;

[0039] Figure 10 A flowchart of the manufacturing method according to the present application.

[0040] Figure 1 In the drawings:

[0041] 01 is a connector terminal, 02 is a connector plastic body, 03 is a connector welding piece, 04 is a connector locking piece, and 05 is an existing FPC connector;

[0042] Figures 2-10 In the drawings:

[0043] 1 is an insulator, 11 is a columnar protrusion, 2 is an elastic conductive electrode, 3 is a housing, 31 is a first opening, 32 is a second opening, 33 is a mounting groove, 4 is an FPC terminal, 5 is a PCBA contact electrode, and 6 is a flash tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0045] The core of the present application is to provide an FPC connector, which makes the connection process of the FPC and the PCBA more convenient during use, avoids the welding operation process, and has a certain elasticity of the elastic conductive electrode. The flexible contact between the FPC terminal and the elastic conductive electrode can avoid scratching the FPC terminal during plugging and unplugging. The elastic deformation force of the elastic conductive electrode 2 can extrude and fix the FPC terminal, which can improve the conduction stability, reduce the requirement for the size precision of the FPC terminal, and expand the application range. In addition, the FPC connector has a simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and strong design flexibility, which is conducive to realizing customized production of different size specifications. Another core of the present application is to provide a manufacturing method applied to the above FPC connector.

[0046] Please refer to Figures 2-10 .

[0047] The FPC connector provided by the embodiment comprises an insulator 1, a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes 2 embedded in the outer peripheral part of the insulator 1, and a shell 3 for mounting the insulator 1; the shell 3 is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA;

[0048] The elastic conductive electrodes 2 are not conductive to each other, the shell 3 is provided with a first opening 31 and a second opening 32 for making the elastic conductive electrodes 2 contact and conduct with PCBA contact electrodes 5, and a gap is provided between the shell 3 and the elastic conductive electrodes 2 for inserting the FPC terminal 4.

[0049] It should be noted that, in use, in order to enable the PCBA contact electrodes 5 to contact and conduct with the elastic conductive electrodes 2, the shell 3 needs to be fixed to the PCBA through the connecting part, which can be a buckle structure or a riveting structure or a connecting screw, and in use, the shell 3 can be connected with the PCBA by buckling, riveting or detachable connecting piece, or by adhesion, which is determined according to the actual situation.

[0050] Preferably, in assembly, in order to improve the connection reliability of the elastic conductive electrodes 2 and the PCBA contact electrodes 5, the elastic conductive electrodes 2 can be subjected to extrusion force when contacting with the PCBA contact electrodes 5, and the elastic conductive electrodes 2 and the PCBA contact electrodes 5 are extruded and contacted by the elastic deformation force of the elastic conductive electrodes 2, thereby improving the reliability of the connector and avoiding poor contact.

[0051] Preferably, the gap size between the shell 3 and the elastic conductive electrodes 2 is 50%-90% of the thickness size of the FPC terminal 4, so that the elastic conductive electrodes 2 are extruded after the FPC terminal 4 is inserted into the gap, thereby improving the assembly reliability.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4 , the first opening 31 can be arranged on the lower side of the shell 3, and the upper side of the shell 3 is punched through, so as to facilitate the contact and conduction of the exposed elastic conductive electrodes 2 and the PCBA contact electrodes 5; preferably, the surface of the shell 3 in contact with the PCBA can be a plane.

[0053] It should be noted that the number of elastic conductive electrodes 2 can be set according to the number of FPC terminals 4, and in use, the same FPC connector can be applied to the connection of FPCs and PCBAs of various models, as long as the number of FPC terminals 4 is less than or equal to the number of elastic conductive electrodes 2.

[0054] In the process of using the FPC connector provided by the embodiment, first, the connecting part of the shell 3 needs to be fixedly connected with the PCBA, and the PCBA contact electrode 5 can contact and conduct with the elastic conductive electrode 2 through the second opening 32; the FPC terminal 4 is inserted into the gap between the shell 3 and the elastic conductive electrode 2 through the first opening 31, and because the elastic conductive electrode 2 has a certain elasticity, it will produce a certain elastic deformation, and the FPC terminal 4 is fixed by the elastic force, so that the FPC terminal 4 is in conduction with the elastic conductive electrode 2, thereby realizing the connection between the PCBA and the FPC.

[0055] Compared with the prior art, the FPC connector provided by the embodiment avoids the welding connection mode in the process of use, so that the operation process is more convenient; and the flexible contact between the FPC terminal 4 and the elastic conductive electrode 2 can avoid the FPC terminal 4 being scratched or damaged in the process of plugging; in addition, the FPC terminal 4 is fixed by the elastic deformation force of the elastic conductive electrode 2, which can improve the conduction stability, reduce the requirement for the size precision of the FPC terminal 4, and expand the application range; the FPC connector has a simple structure, low manufacturing cost and strong design flexibility, which is conducive to realizing customized production of different size specifications. And in the process of use, the same FPC connector can be suitable for the connection of FPCs and PCBAs of various models.

[0056] On the basis of the above embodiment, the elastic conductive electrode 2 can be set as a conductive rubber elastic conductive electrode. The conductive rubber not only can conduct electricity, but also has a certain elasticity, and is convenient to process.

[0057] The elastic conductive electrode 2 is an arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode, and the central angle of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode ranges from 90° to 360°. That is, the elastic conductive electrode 2 can be arranged around the whole circumference of the insulator 1, or can be arranged only at part of the circumferential position.

[0058] The radius of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode is 1.5 mm-5 mm.

[0059] The insulator 1 is a columnar structure, and the plurality of elastic conductive electrodes 2 are arranged in parallel on the outer circumferential side of the columnar structure.

[0060] As shown in Figure 5 , 6 , the shape of the cross section of the insulator 1 can be determined according to actual conditions, which can be a circular shape as shown in Figure 5 , an irregular shape as shown in Figure 6 , a quarter circle structure as shown in Figure 7 , and of course, other shapes.

[0061] The insulator 1 can be an elastic rubber insulator or a rigid plastic insulator.

[0062] When the insulator 1 is an elastic rubber insulator, the elastic conductive electrode 2 can compress the elastic rubber insulator during the deformation process, so that the whole composed of the insulator 1 and the elastic conductive electrode 2 has a larger deformation, and increases the compressive force on the FPC terminal 4, further improving the firmness.

[0063] When insulator 1 is a rigid plastic insulator, the deformation of insulator 1 is small during the processing and manufacturing process, which makes it easy to control the external dimensions of insulator 1.

[0064] The connection between the insulator 1 and the housing 3 can be a snap-fit ​​connection, a riveting connection, or other connection methods. Preferably, columnar protrusions 11 can be provided at both ends of the length direction of the insulator 1, and mounting grooves 33 that cooperate with the columnar protrusions 11 can be provided in the housing 3. During the assembly process, the columnar protrusions 11 are installed in the mounting grooves 33 to fix the insulator 1.

[0065] Alternatively, the insulator 1 and the shell 3 can be designed as an integral injection-molded structure, which facilitates assembly and processing and reduces processing costs.

[0066] like Figure 8 The diagram shown is a cross-sectional view of the FPC connector provided in this application for connecting a PCBA and an FPC. The second opening 32 of the housing 3 is positioned facing the PCBA contact electrode 5. The housing 3 is connected to the PCBA, so that the elastic conductive electrode 2 and the PCBA contact electrode 5 make contact and conduction. The FPC terminal 4 is inserted into the gap between the elastic conductive electrode 2 and the housing 3 through the first opening 31, so that the FPC terminal 4 and the elastic conductive electrode 2 make contact and conduction, thereby realizing the connection between the PCBA and the FPC.

[0067] In addition to the FPC connector described above, the present invention also provides a manufacturing method for the FPC connector disclosed in the above embodiments, the manufacturing method comprising:

[0068] Step S1, injection molding insulator 1;

[0069] During the processing, insulator 1 can be molded by injection molding. After molding, as shown... Figure 9 The leftmost structure is shown in the diagram.

[0070] Step S2: Fix the insulator 1 in the rubber molding mold;

[0071] Step S3: The elastic conductive electrode 2 is bonded to the insulator 1 using compression molding or injection molding processes.

[0072] In this step, the conductive rubber is injected in the area of the elastic conductive electrode 2, the insulating area is in interference fit with the mold, preventing the conductive rubber from flowing in; different electrode areas are connected by the overflow groove 6, ensuring the flowability of the conductive rubber in the mold.

[0073] Step S4, cutting off the excess elastic conductive electrode 2;

[0074] As shown in Figure 9 , Figure 9 the dashed line in the third drawing is the punching line, and in the process of punching, a punching mold can be used.

[0075] Step S5, installing the insulator 1 provided with the elastic conductive electrode 2 to the shell 3.

[0076] The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the difference from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between various embodiments can be referred to each other. Any combination of all the embodiments provided by the present application is within the protection scope of the present application, and is not described here.

[0077] The FPC connector and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the present application are described in detail above. The principles and implementation manners of the present application are described by applying specific examples in this paper, and the above description of the embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, the present application can be improved and modified in several ways, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An FPC connector characterized by comprising: The application relates to an FPC terminal fixing structure, which comprises the following parts: an insulator (1), a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes (2) embedded in the peripheral part of the insulator (1), and a shell (3) for mounting the insulator (1); the shell (3) is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA; The elastic conductive electrodes (2) are not conductive to each other, the elastic conductive electrodes (2) are conductive rubber elastic conductive electrodes, the shell (3) is provided with a first opening (31) and a second opening (32) for exposing the elastic conductive electrodes (2); The shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) have a gap, when an FPC terminal (4) is inserted into the gap through the first opening (31), the shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) clamp and fix the FPC terminal (4); The insulator (1) is in a columnar structure, and the plurality of elastic conductive electrodes (2) are arranged in parallel on the peripheral side surface of the columnar structure; the elastic conductive electrodes (2) are arc-shaped elastic conductive electrodes, and the central angle of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrodes ranges from 90 DEG to 360 DEG; The gap size between the shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) is 50%-90% of the thickness size of the FPC terminal (4). The radius of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode is 1.5 mm-5 mm.

2. The FPC connector according to claim 1, characterized by, The insulator (1) is an elastic rubber insulator or a rigid plastic insulator.

3. The FPC connector according to claim 1, characterized by, The two ends of the insulator (1) in the length direction are provided with columnar protrusions (11), and the shell (3) is provided with mounting grooves (33) matched with the columnar protrusions (11).

4. The FPC connector according to claim 1, characterized by The insulator (1) and the shell (3) are in an integral injection molding structure.

5. The FPC connector according to claim 1, characterized by, The connecting part is a buckle structure, a riveting structure or a connecting screw.

6. The FPC connector according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein The application relates to an FPC terminal fixing structure, which comprises the following parts: an insulator (1), a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes (2) embedded in the peripheral part of the insulator (1), and a shell (3) for mounting the insulator (1); the shell (3) is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA; 7. A manufacturing method for manufacturing the FPC connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by, The elastic conductive electrodes (2) are not conductive to each other, the elastic conductive electrodes (2) are conductive rubber elastic conductive electrodes, the shell (3) is provided with a first opening (31) and a second opening (32) for exposing the elastic conductive electrodes (2); The shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) have a gap, when an FPC terminal (4) is inserted into the gap through the first opening (31), the shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) clamp and fix the FPC terminal (4); The insulator (1) is in a columnar structure, and the plurality of elastic conductive electrodes (2) are arranged in parallel on the peripheral side surface of the columnar structure; the elastic conductive electrodes (2) are arc-shaped elastic conductive electrodes, and the central angle of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrodes ranges from 90 DEG to 360 DEG; The gap size between the shell (3) and the elastic conductive electrodes (2) is 50%-90% of the thickness size of the FPC terminal (4). The radius of the arc-shaped elastic conductive electrode is 1.5 mm-5 mm. The insulator (1) is an elastic rubber insulator or a rigid plastic insulator. The two ends of the insulator (1) in the length direction are provided with columnar protrusions (11), and the shell (3) is provided with mounting grooves (33) matched with the columnar protrusions (11). The insulator (1) and the shell (3) are in an integral injection molding structure. The connecting part is a buckle structure, a riveting structure or a connecting screw. The application relates to an FPC terminal fixing structure, which comprises the following parts: an insulator (1), a plurality of elastic conductive electrodes (2) embedded in the peripheral part of the insulator (1), and a shell (3) for mounting the insulator (1); the shell (3) is provided with a connecting part for fixed connection with a PCBA;

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