Flexible connector

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of flat cable connection, and provides a flexible connector, the flexible connector comprises a plurality of FPC terminals and an FFC flat cable, each FPC terminal is provided with a terminal windowing pad and a pad tin leakage hole, and each FPC terminal is provided with back glue; the FFC flat cable is provided with a plurality of flat cable bonding pad windows, and each flat cable bonding pad window corresponds to each bonding pad tin leaking hole; and each FPC terminal is pre-fixed with the FFC through back glue. According to the flexible connector provided by the utility model, each FPC terminal is provided with the back glue, and each FPC terminal is pre-fixed with the FFC through the back glue, so that each flat cable bonding pad window can correspond to each bonding pad tin leakage hole more accurately, the relative positions of the FPC terminals and the FFC before welding are more accurate, the connection structure of the FFC and the FPC terminals is simplified, and the cost is reduced. And moreover, the connection tightness and the welding efficiency of welding points at the joints are improved, the connection is firmer, the FFC is not easy to break, and the FFC is convenient to popularize and use in the field of new energy automobiles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of cable connection, in particular to a flexible connector. Background Art

[0002] Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) and Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) are widely used in connecting lines of electronic products. Currently, FFC is made by stretching process, and the number and spacing of wires can be arbitrarily selected, making wiring more convenient, greatly reducing the size of electronic products, reducing production costs, improving production efficiency, and being green and environmentally friendly.

[0003] At present, flexible connectors after welding FFC cables and FPC terminals are gradually being used in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0004] However, in the relevant FFC cable and FPC terminal technology, the connection structure of the FFC cable and the FPC terminal is complex, resulting in the welding points at the connection being not tight enough, the connection being not firm enough, easy to break and the welding efficiency being low, which seriously affects the promotion and use of FFC in the field of new energy vehicles. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the utility model provides a flexible connector to solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical defects in the prior art, so that the structure of the flexible connector is simpler, the welding points where the FFC cable and the FPC terminal are connected are tighter, more reliable, and not easy to break, and the welding efficiency can be improved to avoid affecting the promotion and use of FFC in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0006] In order to achieve the purpose of the utility model, the utility model provides a flexible connector, which includes:

[0007] A plurality of FPC terminals, each of which is provided with a terminal window pad and a pad tin leakage hole, and each of which is provided with adhesive backing;

[0008] The FFC cable is provided with a plurality of cable pad openings, each of which corresponds to a solder leakage hole of each pad;

[0009] Each of the FPC terminals is pre-fixed to the FFC cable through the adhesive.

[0010] Preferably, the FPC terminal comprises a first connecting section, a terminal body and a second connecting section which are connected in sequence.

[0011] The terminal window pad is arranged on the second connection section, the pad tin leakage hole is arranged on the first connection section, and the adhesive is arranged on the terminal body.

[0012] The width of the terminal body is greater than the width of the first connecting section, and the width of the terminal body is greater than the width of the second connecting section.

[0013] Preferably, length directions of the first connecting section, the terminal body and the second connecting section are parallel to each other.

[0014] Preferably, the FFC cable comprises a cable body and a plurality of cable circuits.

[0015] Each cable routing line is evenly distributed along the length direction of the cable body.

[0016] The wiring pad opening is arranged on the wiring circuit.

[0017] Preferably, the length direction of each of the FPC terminals is perpendicular to the length direction of each of the wiring circuits.

[0018] Preferably, each of the FPC terminals is arranged in a linear array.

[0019] Preferably, each of the FPC terminals is arranged in a staggered manner.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0021] The flexible connector provided by the utility model has adhesive backing on each FPC terminal, and each FPC terminal is pre-fixed with the FFC cable through the adhesive backing, so that each cable pad window and each pad tin leakage hole can correspond more accurately, so that the relative position of the FPC terminal and the FFC cable before welding is more accurate, which simplifies the connection structure of the FFC cable and the FPC terminal, and improves the connection tightness and welding efficiency of the welding point at the connection, so that the connection is more reliable and not easy to break, which facilitates the promotion and use of FFC in the field of new energy vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clear through a more specific description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts in all the accompanying drawings, and the drawings are not deliberately scaled to the actual size, but the focus is on illustrating the subject matter of the present application.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a flexible connector provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 2A schematic diagram of an FPC terminal in a flexible connector provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 A front view schematic diagram of an FPC terminal in a flexible connector provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 A negative schematic diagram of an FPC terminal in a flexible connector provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the FPC terminal in the flexible connector provided by an embodiment of the utility model being attached to the material strip.

[0028] In the figure:

[0029] 100, FPC terminal; 110, terminal window pad; 120, pad tin leakage hole; 130, adhesive backing; 140, first connecting section; 150, terminal body; 160, second connecting section;

[0030] 200, FFC cable; 210, cable pad window; 220, cable body; 230, cable circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings.

[0032] It should be noted that when an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to another element and integrated therewith, or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. The terms "installed", "one end", "the other end" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The terms used in the specification herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0034] Combine the following Figures 1 to 5 It should be understood that the following description is only an illustrative embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any limitation to the present invention.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 5 An embodiment of the utility model provides a flexible connector, which includes a plurality of FPC terminals 100 and an FFC cable 200 .

[0036] FFC cable refers to flexible flat cable, which is called Flexible Flat Cable (FFC) in English. FPC terminal refers to flexible circuit terminal, which is called Flexible Printed Circuit Connector (FPC) in English.

[0037] Each FPC terminal 100 is provided with a terminal window pad 110 and a pad tin leakage hole 120 , and each FPC terminal 100 is provided with a backing adhesive 130 . The backing adhesive 130 can be provided on the front side of the FPC terminal 100 .

[0038] The FFC cable 200 is provided with a plurality of cable pad windows 210 , each of which corresponds to each solder pad hole 120 , so that the cable circuit 230 of the FFC cable 200 can be welded to the FPC terminal through the cable pad window 210 , thereby forming an electrical connection between the FFC cable 200 and the FPC terminal 100 .

[0039] Each FPC terminal 100 is pre-fixed with the FFC cable 200 by means of the adhesive 130 , so that the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 before welding is more accurate.

[0040] It can be understood that the flexible connector provided by the embodiment of the utility model has a backing glue 130 on each FPC terminal 100, and each FPC terminal 100 is pre-fixed with the FFC cable 200 through the backing glue 130, so that each cable pad window 210 and each pad tin leakage hole 120 can correspond more accurately, so that the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 before welding is more accurate, which simplifies the connection structure of the FFC cable 200 and the FPC terminal, and improves the connection tightness and welding efficiency of the welding point at the connection, so that the connection is more reliable and not easy to break, which facilitates the promotion and use of FFC in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0041] Combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the FPC terminal 100 includes a first connecting section 140, a terminal body 150, and a second connecting section 160. The first connecting section 140, the terminal body 150, and the second connecting section 160 are sequentially connected to form an overall long strip FPC terminal 100.

[0042] The terminal window pad 110 is arranged on the second connection section 160 for connection with other circuits. The pad tin leakage hole 120 is arranged on the first connection section 140 for convenient connection with the FFC cable 200. The adhesive 130 is arranged on the terminal body 150. When the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 need to be welded, the FPC terminal 100 can be pre-fixed with the FFC cable 200 through the adhesive 130 to ensure the accuracy of the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200.

[0043] The width of the terminal body 150 is greater than the width of the first connecting section 140, and the width of the terminal body 150 is greater than the width of the second connecting section 160, so as to reduce the weight of the FPC terminal 100 and facilitate the subsequent operation of the automatic glue sticking equipment. In summary, the structure of the flexible connector can be further simplified, so that the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 is more accurate, thereby further ensuring the tightness and reliability of the welding point at the connection.

[0044] In addition, in order to improve the applicability of the FPC terminal 100 and reduce the space occupied by it, in some embodiments of the present invention, the length directions of the first connecting section 140, the terminal body 150 and the second connecting section 160 are parallel to each other.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the FFC cable 200 includes a cable body 220 and a plurality of cable circuits 230 .

[0046] Each cable routing 230 is evenly distributed along the length direction of the cable body 220, and the cable pad opening 210 is set on the cable routing 230, so that the cable routing 230 is arranged more orderly to save the required space, thereby further simplifying the structure of the flexible connector, and facilitating the welding of the FFC cable 200 and the FPC terminal 100 on automatic equipment, further improving the welding efficiency.

[0047] In order to allow each FPC terminal 100 to be placed on a subsequently arranged material strip and to use an automatic gluing setting operation to improve production efficiency, in some embodiments of the present invention, the length direction of each FPC terminal 100 is perpendicular to the length direction of each cable circuit 230 .

[0048] Combination Figure 1 In some embodiments of the present invention, in order to further facilitate the subsequent automatic gluing equipment operation and further improve production efficiency, each FPC terminal 100 is arranged in a linear array.

[0049] Of course, each FPC terminal 100 is staggered to avoid mutual interference and line stoppage, thereby ensuring the normal operation and indirectly improving welding efficiency.

[0050] In conjunction with FIG. 1 , the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a flexible connector, wherein the flexible connector is the flexible connector of the above embodiment, and the method comprises the following steps:

[0051] The first step is to prepare the FFC cable 200; determine the size and material of the FFC cable 200 according to the customer's requirements.

[0052] The second step is to prepare the FPC terminal 100; according to the customer's requirements, the size and material of the FPC terminal 100 are determined, and the FPC terminal 100 is manufactured by etching or laser cutting process.

[0053] The third step is to apply adhesive backing 130 to the FPC terminal 100; automatic adhesive application equipment is used to apply adhesive backing 130, and the adhesive backing 130 is punched and formed after application. The adhesive backing 130 can be "3M 9077 high temperature resistant pressure sensitive adhesive", which can withstand temperatures of 260°C, has a thickness of 50 microns, and is modeled as 3M-9077.

[0054] The fourth step is to weave the FPC terminal 100 material strip; weave the punched single FPC terminal 100 into a material strip, set a release film on the material strip, and stick the FPC terminal 100 on the release film.

[0055] Step 5: Fix the FFC cable 200; fix the FFC cable 200 on a special fixture.

[0056] Step 6: Print solder paste on the FFC cable 200; Print solder paste on the FFC cable 200 fixed on the special fixture.

[0057] In the seventh step, the FPC terminal 100 on the material strip is pasted on the designated welding position of the FFC cable 200 by the automatic glue pasting equipment; the automatic glue pasting machine can automatically identify the position of the solder pad window in the FFC cable 200, and match the solder pad tin leakage hole 120 in the FPC terminal 100 with the solder pad window position. This ensures that the fitting position accuracy of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 is ±0.1mm, improving their tightness.

[0058] In the eighth step, the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 are welded; the bonded FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 are installed on a special positioning fixture and welded by a laser automatic welding device.

[0059] The ninth step is AOI inspection, which is automated optical inspection to avoid welding defects.

[0060] After welding is completed, proceed to the next process.

[0061] It can be understood that the manufacturing method of the flexible connector provided by the utility model, due to the use of the flexible connector of the above-mentioned embodiment, also has all the advantages of the flexible connector, that is, it can make the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 before welding more accurate, simplify the connection structure of the FFC cable 200 and the FPC terminal 100, and improve the connection tightness and welding efficiency of the welding point at the connection, so that the connection is more reliable and not easy to break, which facilitates the promotion and use of FFC in the field of new energy vehicles.

[0062] Of course, the manufacturing method of the flexible connector uses the backing glue 130 to stick on the FPC terminal 100, so that the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC terminal 200 can be pre-fixed before welding, so that the relative position of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200 is more accurate, thereby ensuring the quality during welding; at the same time, the method uses automatic gluing equipment to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the fitting of the FPC terminal 100 and the FFC cable 200, and uses laser automatic welding equipment for welding, which can further improve the quality of welding, can greatly improve welding production efficiency, reduce production costs, and ensure welding quality.

[0063] In this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0064] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "preferred embodiment", "further embodiment", "some embodiments", "other embodiments" or "specific example" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0065] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible connector, characterized in that: include: A plurality of FPC terminals, each of which is provided with a terminal window pad and a pad tin leakage hole, and each of which is provided with adhesive backing; The FFC cable is provided with a plurality of cable pad openings, each of which corresponds to a solder leakage hole of each pad; Each of the FPC terminals is pre-fixed to the FFC cable through the adhesive.

2. The flexible connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The FPC terminal comprises a first connection section, a terminal body and a second connection section which are connected in sequence. The terminal window pad is arranged on the second connection section, the pad tin leakage hole is arranged on the first connection section, and the adhesive is arranged on the terminal body. The width of the terminal body is greater than the width of the first connecting section, and the width of the terminal body is greater than the width of the second connecting section.

3. The flexible connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The length directions of the first connecting section, the terminal body and the second connecting section are parallel to each other.

4. The flexible connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The FFC cable includes a cable body and a plurality of cable circuits. Each cable routing line is evenly distributed along the length direction of the cable body. The wiring pad opening is arranged on the wiring circuit.

5. The flexible connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The length direction of each FPC terminal is perpendicular to the length direction of each wiring circuit.

6. The flexible connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the FPC terminals is arranged in a linear array.

7. The flexible connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the FPC terminals is staggered.

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