Flexible busbar electric connector
By designing a soft-drain electrical connector with side covers and optimizing the metal shell structure, the existing FPC soft-drain insertion method has solved the problem of angle limitations and space occupation, and the application requirements of oblique insertion and contact stability are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421497725.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-27
AI Technical Summary
The existing FPC soft-row insertion method has angle limitations, occupying a lot of circuit board space, making it difficult to meet the needs of dense layout in small and lightweight electronic products.
A soft-discharge electrical connector is designed, and its metal shell is equipped with a side cover, which is fixed to the limit of the circuit board and the butt end elements through the side cover to achieve the application requirements of oblique insertion, and ensures the stability of contact by optimizing the metal shell structure.
This design meets the need for oblique insertion of FPC soft rows, reduces the use of circuit board space, ensures contact stability, and simplifies the overall structure for easy operation.
Smart Images

Figure CN222839088U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the field of electrical connection, in particular to a flexible row electrical connector. Background Art
[0002] With the development trend of miniaturization and lightness of consumer electronic products such as notebooks, tablets, and mobile phones, the design and manufacturing process of their components are becoming more and more demanding. As the products become thinner and lighter, the internal space becomes very narrow, which requires that the internal layout of the product must be densely packed. The size of each electronic component is also getting smaller and smaller, and thinner and lighter. The reliability requirements for process technology and product connections are getting higher and higher. For example, the FPC flexible row (flexible board or wire row) connector is a commonly used small electrical connector, which is used to plug in the FPC flexible row (flexible board or wire row) to achieve electrical connection. There are currently two main ways to insert the FPC flexible row: horizontal insertion and vertical insertion. After the FPC flexible row is inserted, the metal shell is rotated to achieve snap-on fixation. However, these two insertion methods have certain angle restrictions and will take up more circuit board space in some application scenarios. Utility Model Content
[0003] The technical problem solved by the utility model is to provide a flexible row electrical connector to improve the limitations of the FPC flexible row insertion method in the prior art.
[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions: a flexible electrical connector, comprising: an insulating body, a plurality of terminals accommodated in the insulating body, and a metal shell covering the surface of the insulating body, the metal shell is provided with a main cover, a pair of side covers bent downward from both ends of the main cover, the front edge of the main cover is provided with an upwardly raised folded edge, the side cover comprises a main arm, a pair of fixed arms extending downward from the insulating body as a whole from the main arm, and a bending portion extending backward from the front end of the main arm, the connection between the bending portion and the main arm forms a U-shaped operating portion, and the end of the bending portion is provided with a stopper protruding inwardly.
[0005] Furthermore, the insulating body is provided with a front end wall, a rear end wall and a pair of side walls, the front end wall, the rear end wall and the side walls form a frame structure and a frame opening is formed on the inner side of the frame structure, which passes through the insulating body from top to bottom, and the fixed arm passes downward through the side wall to be welded to a circuit board.
[0006] Furthermore, the stopper is in an inverted U-shape, which is integrally extended upward from the top edge of the bending portion and then bent and extended downward, and the stopper protrudes inwardly to be located above the soft row.
[0007] Furthermore, the side wall is provided with a mounting groove and a recessed platform located in front of the mounting groove, the mounting groove extends backward to be between the side wall and the rear end wall, the recessed platform is located at both longitudinal ends of the front end wall, and the top surface of the recessed platform is lower than the top surface of the front end wall, and an inner recess is provided on the outer side surface of the recessed platform.
[0008] Furthermore, the pair of fixing arms are distributed front and back, the fixing arm on the rear side is vertically inserted downward into the mounting groove, and the fixing arm on the front side is vertically inserted downward into the inner recess.
[0009] Furthermore, the front end wall is arranged in parallel with the rear end wall, and the top surface of the front end wall is lower than the top surface of the rear end wall, and the width of the rear end wall in the front-to-back direction is greater than the width of the front end wall in the front-to-back direction.
[0010] Furthermore, the side wall is also provided with an inner retaining wall located inside the mounting groove, the inner retaining wall is integrally connected with the rear end wall and the top surface of the inner retaining wall is lower than the top surface of the rear end wall.
[0011] Furthermore, the top surface of the inner retaining wall is provided with a protrusion that protrudes upwards as a whole, and the protrusion is located on the inner side of the mounting groove; the rear end wall is arranged flush with the top surface of the side wall, and the end of the bent portion abuts against the protrusion.
[0012] Furthermore, the angle between the tilting direction of the folded edge and the horizontal direction is 20-40 degrees.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the utility model optimizes the structure of the metal shell and utilizes the side cover to achieve limited fixation with the circuit board and the docking end components, thereby ensuring the stability of the contact and meeting the application requirements of oblique insertion of the FPC soft row. The overall structure is relatively simple and easy to operate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional view of the front side of the flexible electrical connector of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional view of the back side of the flexible electrical connector of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 3 It is a side view of the flexible row electrical connector of the utility model.
[0017] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the flexible electrical connector of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] See also Figures 1 to 4As shown, the utility model provides a flexible row electrical connector 100, comprising: an insulating body 10, a plurality of terminals 20 accommodated in the insulating body 10, and a metal shell 30 covering the surface of the insulating body 10, wherein the terminals 20 are fixed in the insulating body 10 for achieving electrical contact with a mating terminal element 200 (i.e., a flexible row, such as an FPC flexible row or a circuit board), and the metal shell 30 is used for shielding and protecting, and is beneficial to improving the overall strength of the electrical connector 100.
[0019] like Figure 3 As shown, the insulating body 10 is provided with a front wall 11, a rear wall 12 and a pair of side walls 13. Preferably, the front wall 11, the rear wall 12 and the side walls 13 are integrally injection molded and enclose a frame structure, and a frame opening 14 is formed inside the frame structure, which is through from top to bottom. The frame opening 14 is between the front wall 11, the rear wall 12 and the side walls 13, wherein the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 are both extended in a longitudinal shape, and the pair of side walls 13 are integrally connected to the longitudinal ends of the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12. The front wall 11 is arranged parallel to the rear wall 12, and the top surface of the front wall 11 is lower than the top surface of the rear wall 12. The width of the rear end wall 12 in the front-to-back direction is greater than the width of the front end wall 11 in the front-to-back direction. The side wall 13 is provided with a mounting groove 15 and a recessed platform 16 located at the front side of the mounting groove 15. The mounting groove 15 extends backward to be formed between the side wall 13 and the rear end wall 12. The recessed platform 16 is located at both longitudinal ends of the front end wall 11, and the top surface of the recessed platform 16 is lower than the top surface of the front end wall 11. An inner recess 19 is provided on the outer side surface of the recessed platform 16. Preferably, the side wall 13 is further provided with an inner stop wall 17 located at the inner side of the mounting groove 15, the inner stop wall 17 is integrally connected to the rear end wall 12, and the top surface of the inner stop wall 17 is lower than the top surface of the rear end wall 12, and the top surface of the inner stop wall 17 is provided with a protrusion 18 protruding upward as a whole, and the protrusion 18 is located on the inner side of the mounting groove 15 for limiting the butt-end component 200 (such as an FPC soft row or a circuit board). Preferably, the rear end wall 12 is flush with the top surface of the side wall 13 .
[0020] The terminal 20 is provided with a horizontal arm 21, an arc-shaped contact arm 22 extending forward from the horizontal arm 21, and a welding arm 23 extending backward from the horizontal arm 21. The horizontal arm 21 is integrally embedded in the rear end wall 12 to fix the terminal 20 on the insulating body 10, and the arc-shaped contact arm 22 extends into the frame opening 14 to be crimped and contacted with the mating terminal component 200 (such as an FPC flexible row or a circuit board). The welding arm 23 extends backward and protrudes from the rear end wall 12 to be welded to a circuit board (not shown).
[0021] The metal shell 30 is provided with a main cover 31 covering the rear end wall 12, and a pair of side covers 38 bent downward from both ends of the main cover 31. The main cover 31 is narrow and long, and the front edge of the main cover 31 is provided with an upwardly tilted folded edge 32 and a pair of openings 33 at both ends of the folded edge 32, wherein the angle A between the tilted direction of the folded edge 32 and the horizontal direction is 20-40 degrees, and the reference Figure 4 As shown, the side cover 38 is integrally stamped with the main cover 31, and the side cover 38 includes a main arm 34, a pair of fixing arms 37 extending downward from the main arm 34, and a bent portion 35 extending from the front end of the main arm 34 backward. The main arm 34 extends horizontally in the front-to-back direction to be clamped in the mounting groove 15, and the pair of fixing arms 21 are distributed front to back, wherein the fixing arm 21 on the rear side is vertically inserted downward into the mounting groove 15, and the fixing arm 21 on the front side is vertically inserted downward into the inner recess 19, and the pair of fixing arms 21 both protrude downward from the bottom surface of the side wall 13 to be fixed on the circuit board. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The bending portion 35 is formed at the end of the main arm 34, and a U-shaped operating portion 36 is formed at the connection between the bending portion 35 and the main arm 34, and the end of the bending portion 35 abuts against the protruding portion 18, and the end of the bending portion 35 is provided with an inverted U-shaped stopper 351 extending upward, and the stopper 351 protrudes inward to stop above the docking end element 200 (such as an FPC flexible row or a circuit board), and is used to limit the docking end element in the vertical direction. Preferably, the bottom edges of the main arm 34 and the bending portion 35 abut against the recessed platform 16, and the U-shaped operating portion 36 protrudes forward from the side wall 13, and is used as an operating portion for operation. By pushing the U-shaped operating portion 36 outward, the main arm 34 of the side cover 38 can be turned outward and stretched, thereby facilitating the loading and unloading of the docking end element 200. The metal shell 30 relies on a pair of side covers 38 to achieve fixed combination with the circuit board, and at the same time, the pair of side covers 38 are also relied on to limit the position of the docking end component 200.
[0022] When the butt-end element 200 is inserted obliquely into place, it is only necessary to press the butt-end element 200 downward, and under the action of the elastic deformation and displacement of the stopper sheet 351, the two sides of the butt-end element 200 are clamped under the stopper sheet 351, and the stopper sheet 351 can be used to limit the butt-end element 200 from being separated in the vertical direction. When the butt-end element 200 needs to be pulled out, it is only necessary to bend the U-shaped operating portion 36 outward (such as Figure 1 The main arm 34 expands outwards, thereby causing the stopper 351 to break away from the limit of the butt-end component 200, so that the butt-end component 200 can be flipped up and the electrical connector 100 can be pulled out.
[0023] In summary, the electrical connector of the utility model can meet the application requirements of oblique insertion of the FPC flexible row by optimizing the structure of the metal shell 30, and at the same time uses the side cover 38 to achieve limited fixation with the circuit board and the docking end component 200 to ensure the stability of the contact, and the overall structure is relatively simple and easy to operate.
[0024] The above is only the best embodiment of the utility model and does not limit the utility model in any form. Any technician familiar with the field can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the utility model by using the method disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the utility model, which all fall within the scope of protection of the claims.
Claims
1. A flexible electrical connector, comprising: An insulating body, a plurality of terminals accommodated in the insulating body, and a metal shell covering the surface of the insulating body, characterized in that: the metal shell is provided with a main cover, a pair of side covers bent downward from both ends of the main cover, the front edge of the main cover is provided with an upwardly tilted folded edge, the side cover includes a main arm, a pair of fixed arms extending downward from the insulating body from the main arm, and a bending portion extending backward from the front end of the main arm, the connection between the bending portion and the main arm forms a U-shaped operating portion, and the end of the bending portion is provided with a stopper protruding inward.
2. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating body is provided with a front end wall, a rear end wall and a pair of side walls, the front end wall, the rear end wall and the side walls form a frame structure and form a frame opening passing through the insulating body up and down on the inner side of the frame structure, the fixed arm passes downward through the side wall to be welded to a circuit board.
3. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The stopper is in an inverted U shape, and is formed by integrally extending upward from the top edge of the bending portion and then bending and extending downward, and the stopper protrudes inwardly to be located above the soft row.
4. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The side wall is provided with a mounting groove and a recessed platform located at the front side of the mounting groove, the mounting groove extends backward to be between the side wall and the rear end wall, the recessed platform is located at both longitudinal ends of the front end wall, and the top surface of the recessed platform is lower than the top surface of the front end wall, and an inner recess is provided on the outer side surface of the recessed platform.
5. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pair of fixing arms are distributed front and back, the fixing arm on the rear side is vertically inserted downward into the installation groove, and the fixing arm on the front side is vertically inserted downward into the inner recess.
6. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front end wall is arranged in parallel with the rear end wall, and the top surface of the front end wall is lower than the top surface of the rear end wall, and the width of the rear end wall in the front-to-back direction is greater than the width of the front end wall in the front-to-back direction.
7. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side wall is also provided with an inner retaining wall located inside the mounting groove, the inner retaining wall is integrally connected with the rear end wall and the top surface of the inner retaining wall is lower than the top surface of the rear end wall.
8. The flexible electrical connector according to claim 7, characterized in that: The top surface of the inner retaining wall is provided with a protrusion integrally protruding upward, and the protrusion is located on the inner side of the mounting groove; the rear end wall is arranged flush with the top surface of the side wall, and the end of the bent portion abuts against the protrusion.
9. The flexible electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The angle between the tilting direction of the folded edge and the horizontal direction is 20-40 degrees.