Flexible Flat Cable Mechanical Automatic Plugging and Unplugging Method

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables. Plugging and unplugging structures for positioning are provided on the connector body and the upper cover, enabling the flexible flat cable connector to quickly and stably plug and unplug with the corresponding card slots of the connector, improving production efficiency and having high accuracy. It includes: a flexible flat cable component, which includes a connection head and a cable part; a connector, which includes a connector body, a slot, and an upper cover. A slot is provided on the connector body for placing the connection head. An upper cover is provided above the slot. The upper cover is connected to the corresponding two side walls of the connector body through a pivot shaft. The two ends in the length direction of the upper cover protrude laterally from both sides of the connector respectively and are provided with side convex flipping parts. The upper cover includes a region for connecting metal contact parts at intervals, a downwardly convex slot pressing end, and an exposed cover end. Its specific operations include an insertion action and a pulling-out action.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of flexible flat cable assembly, and specifically to a mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables. Background Art

[0002] After the existing flexible flat cable is manufactured, it needs to be inserted into the corresponding connector. It requires manual effort to force the connection head of the cable into the card slot of the corresponding connector. Then, the upper cover is manually flipped to fasten the upper cover, and then the metal connection part on the upper cover connects the metal part of the connection head and the corresponding external connection card slot exposed on the connector. In actual operation, manual installation is time-consuming and laborious, and installation errors are likely to occur. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a flexible flat cable installation method that can perform automatic plugging and unplugging. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables, which is provided with plugging and unplugging structures for positioning on the connector body and the upper cover, enabling the flexible flat cable connection head to quickly and stably perform plugging and unplugging operations with the corresponding card slot of the connector, improving production efficiency and having high accuracy.

[0004] The mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables is characterized in that it includes:

[0005] A flexible flat cable, which includes a connection head and a cable part;

[0006] A connector, which includes a connector body, a slot, and an upper cover. The connector body is provided with a slot for placing the connection head. The upper cover is arranged above the slot and is pivotally connected to the corresponding two side walls of the connector body through a pivot shaft. The two ends of the upper cover in the length direction protrude laterally from both sides of the connector and are provided with lateral convex flipping parts. The upper cover includes a region connecting metal contact parts at intervals, a downward convex slot pressing end, and an exposed cover end;

[0007] Its specific operation includes an insertion action and a pulling-out action;

[0008] During the insertion action, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connection head close to the cable part and then moves horizontally towards the slot. The connection head is inserted into the slot, and the slot pressing end of the upper cover is pushed to drive the upper cover to flip with the pivot shaft as the axis, so that the cover end flips upwards until the connection head is inserted in place. Then, the cover end is driven to flip, so that the cover end is flush with the upper surface of the connector, and at the same time the slot pressing end presses against the upper surface of the connection head to ensure stable and reliable connection;

[0009] During the pulling-out operation, the guiding vertical surface fixtures are arranged on the two corresponding sides of the side convex flipping member. The guiding vertical surface fixtures are driven to press downwards, and the side convex flipping member is driven to drive the cover end to flip upwards with the pivot axis as the rotation axis until the slot pressing end is far away from the upper surface of the connector. The guiding vertical surface fixtures maintain the corresponding positions to lock the position of the side convex flipping member. Then, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connector near the cable. The suction cup and the guiding vertical surface fixtures move horizontally outwards away from the connector until the connector is completely separated from the slot.

[0010] Its further features are as follows:

[0011] The upper cover itself is integrated with a pivot axis structure. The pivot axis structure is located at the inner side of the side convex flipping member. The connector body is provided with a limiting plate at the position corresponding to the pivot axis structure. The limiting plate is provided with an inner concave arc groove at the position corresponding to the outer arc surface of the pivot axis structure. The outer arc surface of the pivot axis structure is shaped to conform to the inner concave arc groove and is closely arranged;

[0012] The outer arc surface of the pivot axis structure is provided with a serrated structure. The serrated structure enables the upper cover not to flip in the non-loaded state, and together with the slot pressing end, it enables the connector not to be separated when no external force acts after being inserted in place;

[0013] The slot pressing end is located on both sides of the area of the spaced connection metal contact members and at the side end position of the corresponding slot. The downwardly convex slot pressing end is used to press against the corresponding position on the upper surface of the connector;

[0014] There is a spacing between the slot pressing end and the upper surface of the slot in the locked state of the upper cover. The spacing is smaller than the thickness of the connector, so that when the connector is inserted, it drives the slot pressing end to move backward, and further enables the entire upper cover to flip open.

[0015] After adopting the present invention, side convex flipping parts are respectively arranged on both sides of the upper cover in the length direction. At the same time, the upper cover is provided with a lower convex slot pressing end. When the connector is inserted, the thickness of the connector is used to drive the slot pressing end backward to open the upper cover. Then, the connector is horizontally moved by the suction head to be inserted in place. After that, the cover end of the upper cover is flipped by the flipping arm to complete the locking of the upper cover. At the same time, the slot pressing end presses on the upper surface of the connector to ensure stable and reliable connection. When the connector is pulled out, the guiding vertical surface fixture is driven to press down, and the side convex flipping part is driven to drive the cover end to flip upward with the pivot axis as the rotation axis until the slot pressing end is far away from the upper surface of the connector. The guiding vertical surface fixture maintains the corresponding position to lock the position of the side convex flipping part. Then, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connector near the flexible flat cable. The suction cup and the guiding vertical surface fixture move horizontally outward away from the connector until the connector is completely separated from the slot. Plugging and unplugging structures for positioning are arranged on the connector body and the upper cover, so that the flexible flat cable connector can be quickly and stably plugged and unplugged with the corresponding card slot of the connector by mechanical equipment, improving production efficiency and having high accuracy. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the connector body corresponding to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a sequence diagram of the connector insertion action of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a sequence diagram of the connector pulling-out action of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the bottom view structure of the upper cover;

[0020] The names of the components corresponding to the serial numbers in the text are as follows:

[0021] Flexible flat cable part 10, connector 11, flexible flat cable part 12, connector 20, connector body 21, slot 22, upper cover 23, side convex flipping part 231, area for spacing connection metal contacts 232, slot pressing end 233, cover end 234, pivot axis structure 235, limiting plate 24, inner concave arc groove 241, suction cup 30, guiding vertical surface fixture 40. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0022] The mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables can be seen in Figures 1-4 and it includes a flexible flat cable part 10 and a connector 20;

[0023] The flexible flat wire component 10 includes a connector head 11 and a cable part 12; the connector 20 includes a connector body 21, a slot 22, and an upper cover 23. A slot 22 is provided on the connector body 21 for placing the connector head 11. An upper cover 23 is provided above the slot 22. The upper cover 23 is connected to the corresponding two side walls of the connector body 21 through a pivot shaft. The two ends of the upper cover 23 in the length direction protrude laterally from both sides of the connector and are provided with laterally protruding flipping members 231. The upper cover 23 includes an area 232 for connecting metal contacts at intervals, a downwardly protruding slot pressing end 233, and an exposed cover end 234;

[0024] During its specific operation, it includes an insertion action and a pulling-out action;

[0025] During the insertion action, the suction cup 30 adsorbs the area of the connector head 11 close to the cable part 12 and then moves horizontally towards the slot 22. The connector head 11 is inserted into the slot 22, and the slot pressing end of the upper cover 23 is pushed to drive the upper cover 23 to flip with the pivot shaft as the axis, so that the cover end 234 flips upwards until the connector head 11 is inserted in place. Then, the cover end 234 is driven to flip so that the cover end 234 is flush with the upper surface of the connector 20, and at the same time, the slot pressing end 233 presses against the upper surface of the connector head 11 to ensure stable and reliable connection;

[0026] During the pulling-out action, the guiding vertical surface fixtures 40 are arranged on the corresponding surfaces on both sides of the laterally protruding flipping member 231. The guiding vertical surface fixtures 40 are driven to press downwards, and the laterally protruding flipping member 231 is driven to drive the cover end 234 to flip upwards with the pivot shaft as the rotation axis until the slot pressing end 233 is far away from the upper surface of the connector head 11. The guiding vertical surface fixtures 40 maintain the corresponding positions to lock the position of the laterally protruding flipping member 231. Then, the suction cup 30 adsorbs the area of the connector head 11 close to the cable part 12, and the suction cup 30 and the guiding vertical surface fixtures 40 move horizontally outwards away from the connector 20 until the connector head 11 is completely separated from the slot 22.

[0027] During specific implementation, the upper cover 23 itself integrates a pivot shaft structure 235. The pivot shaft structure 235 is located inside the laterally protruding flipping member 231. A limiting plate 24 is installed at the position of the connector body 21 corresponding to the pivot shaft structure 235. An inward concave arc groove 241 is provided at the position of the limiting plate 24 corresponding to the outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure 235. The outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure 235 is shaped to conform to the inward concave arc groove 241 and is closely arranged;

[0028] During specific implementation, the outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure 235 is provided with a serrated structure. The serrated structure prevents the upper cover from flipping in the non-loaded state, and together with the slot pressing end 233, it prevents the connector head 11 from detaching when no external force is applied after being inserted in place;

[0029] The slot pressing end 233 is located on both sides of the area 232 that spacedly connects the metal contact members and at the side end positions of the corresponding slots 22. The downwardly convex slot pressing end 233 is used to press against the corresponding positions on the upper surface of the connector 11. The slot pressing end 233 is specifically a downwardly convex sharp-angle structure, and the sharp-angle part is a round-head structure.

[0030] When the upper cover is in the locked state, there is a gap between the slot pressing end 233 and the upper surface of the slot 22, and the gap is smaller than the thickness of the connector 11. When the connector 11 is inserted, it drives the slot pressing end 233 to move backward, thereby causing the entire upper cover 23 to flip open.

[0031] The working principle is as follows. Side convex flipping members are respectively arranged on both sides in the length direction of the upper cover. At the same time, the upper cover is provided with a downwardly convex slot pressing end. When the connector is inserted, the thickness of the connector is used to drive the slot pressing end backward to open the upper cover. Then, the connector is horizontally moved into place by the suction head. After that, the cover end of the upper cover is flipped by the flipping arm to complete the locking of the upper cover. At the same time, the slot pressing end presses against the upper surface of the connector to ensure a firm and reliable connection. When the connector is pulled out, the guiding vertical surface fixture is driven downward, and the side convex flipping member is driven to drive the cover end to flip upward with the pivot axis as the rotation axis until the slot pressing end is far away from the upper surface of the connector. The guiding vertical surface fixture maintains the corresponding position to lock the position of the side convex flipping member. Then, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connector close to the flexible flat cable. The suction cup and the guiding vertical surface fixture move horizontally outward away from the connector until the connector is completely separated from the slot. Plugging and unplugging structures for positioning are provided on the connector body and the upper cover, enabling the flexible flat cable connector to be quickly and firmly plugged and unplugged with the corresponding card slots of the connector by mechanical equipment, improving production efficiency and having a high accuracy rate.

[0032] For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above-described exemplary embodiments, and without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present invention, the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms. Therefore, from any point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description. Therefore, all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be encompassed within the present invention. Any reference signs in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claimed rights.

[0033] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment only contains an independent technical solution. This narrative manner of the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method for flexible flat cables, characterized in that, It includes: A flexible flat cable component, which includes a connector head and a cable part; A connector, which includes a connector body, a slot, and an upper cover. A slot is provided on the connector body for placing the connector head. An upper cover is provided above the slot. The upper cover is connected to the corresponding two side walls of the connector body through a pivot shaft. The two ends of the upper cover in the length direction protrude laterally from both sides of the connector and are provided with laterally protruding flipping parts. The upper cover includes a region connecting metal contact parts at intervals, a downwardly protruding slot pressing end, and an exposed cover end; During its specific operation, it includes an insertion action and a pulling-out action; During the insertion action, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connector head close to the cable part and then moves horizontally towards the slot. The connector head is inserted into the slot, and the slot pressing end of the upper cover is pushed to drive the upper cover to flip with the pivot shaft as the axis, so that the cover end flips upwards until the connector head is inserted in place. Then, the cover end is driven to flip so that the cover end is flush with the upper surface of the connector, and at the same time the slot pressing end presses on the upper surface of the connector head to ensure firm and reliable connection; During the pulling-out action, the guiding vertical surface jigs are arranged on the corresponding surfaces on both sides of the laterally protruding flipping part. The guiding vertical surface jigs are driven to press down, and the laterally protruding flipping part is driven to drive the cover end to flip upwards with the pivot shaft as the axis of rotation until the slot pressing end is far away from the upper surface of the connector head. The guiding vertical surface jigs maintain the corresponding positions to lock the position of the laterally protruding flipping part. Then, the suction cup adsorbs the area of the connector head close to the cable part, and the suction cup and the guiding vertical surface jigs move horizontally outwards away from the connector until the connector head completely disengages from the slot; The upper cover itself integrates a pivot shaft structure, and the pivot shaft structure is located inside the laterally protruding flipping part. A limiting plate is installed on the connector body at the position corresponding to the pivot shaft structure. An inner concave arc groove is provided on the limiting plate at the position corresponding to the outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure. The outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure is shaped to conform to the inner concave arc groove and is closely arranged; The outer arc surface of the pivot shaft structure is provided with a serrated structure, and the serrated structure makes the upper cover not flip in the unloaded state, and together with the slot pressing end, it makes the connector head not disengage when it is inserted in place without external force; 2. The mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method of a flexible flat cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slot pressing end is located on both sides of the region connecting the metal contact parts at intervals and at the side end of the corresponding slot. The downwardly protruding slot pressing end is used to press on the corresponding position of the upper surface of the connector head; 3. The mechanical automatic plugging and unplugging method of the flexible flat cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is a spacing between the slot pressing end and the upper surface of the slot in the locked state of the upper cover, and the spacing is smaller than the thickness of the connector head, so that when the connector head is inserted, the slot pressing end is driven to move backward, and then the entire upper cover flips open.

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