Mechanical terminal and FPC connector comprising same

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of electric connector manufacturing, in particular to a mechanical terminal and an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) connector comprising the same. The mechanical terminal is a metal blanking part and comprises a vertical thrust section, a lower embedding section, a middle embedding section and an upper embedding section. And the lower embedding and inserting section, the middle embedding and inserting section and the upper embedding and inserting section are formed by extending vertical thrust sections. When the mechanical terminal is embedded in place, the lower embedding and inserting section, the middle embedding and inserting section and the vertical thrust section are all hidden in the insulating rubber base, and the upper embedding and inserting section is longer than the insulating rubber base by a set length. Therefore, on one hand, in the whole process of lifting the overturning pressure applying piece, the overturning pressure applying piece is always subjected to the action of the elastic pressure applying force from the mechanical terminal, so that the overturning pressure applying piece is reliably and stably limited; on the other hand, the mechanical terminal abandons a signal transmission function, so that the design structure is simplified; and on the other hand, the mechanical terminal has a larger bonding area relative to the insulating rubber base, and the mechanical terminal and the insulating rubber base maintain good bonding strength.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electric connector manufacturing, in particular to a mechanical terminal and an FPC connector comprising the same. Background Art

[0002] Flexible flat cables (FFCs) are components used for signal transmission. Their inherent advantages include flexible design and high signal transmission speed, making them widely used in many electronic products. These cables utilize FPC connectors and electronic connectors to transmit signals from one end to the other, achieving signal transmission. They are commonly used in various digital communications products, portable electronics, computer peripherals, measuring instruments, automotive electronics, and other fields.

[0003] Chinese utility model patent CN212810617U discloses a flip-up FPC connector. The flip-up FPC connector is mainly composed of several parts such as an insulating rubber seat, a flip piece and a terminal. Figure 1As shown in the figure, the terminal block primarily consists of an upper cantilever arm, a rear contact arm, and a lower cantilever arm, which are connected in sequence. The flip member is hingedly connected to the insulating rubber base and can freely rotate circumferentially when subjected to external force. The flip member is located directly in front of the rear contact arm and lies horizontally between the upper and lower cantilever arms. Multiple non-circular retaining arms are formed along the width of the flip member, arranged in a linear array. Near its free end, the upper cantilever arm is formed with a semi-open receiving groove. These multiple semi-open receiving grooves cooperate to position the flip member. As the flip member is moved circumferentially, each non-circular retaining arm rotates circumferentially within its corresponding semi-open receiving groove, thereby securing and releasing the flexible flat cable. The free end of the lower cantilever arm is formed with a lower inward-extending protrusion. When the flexible flat cable is installed, its bottom wall is elastically pressed against by the multiple lower inward-extending protrusions arranged in a linear array, facilitating signal transmission. As can be seen from the above description, multiple terminal blocks not only have the function of transmitting signals, but also work together to have the functions of elastic pressure application and position limiting flipping parts, so as to facilitate the flipping parts to perform the opening and closing operation relative to the insulating rubber seat. Although this type of terminal block has the design advantage of integrating the signal transmission function and the position limiting flipping part function into one, it is also accompanied by the following obvious defects, which are specifically manifested as follows: 1) The bonding area between the terminal block and the insulating rubber seat is relatively limited, and the bonding strength and bonding stability are extremely poor. In the process of opening and closing the flipping part, the upper cantilever is continuously subjected to the reaction force from the flipping part. After multiple opening and closing operations, the terminal block is very likely to become loose or even come loose relative to the insulating rubber seat, which will inevitably affect the stability of signal transmission; 2) The terminal block has both a lower cantilever for signal transmission and an upper cantilever for position limiting the flipping part. The two are connected and electrically conductive by means of a rear connecting arm. During the electrical conduction process, the charge distribution surface is large, which will inevitably affect the stability and reliability of signal transmission, and the electromagnetic wave and crosstalk interference problems are serious. Therefore, technical personnel are urgently needed to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned existing problems and defects, the designers of the present invention collected relevant information, conducted multiple evaluations and considerations, and continued to experiment and modify the terminal block after years of R&D experience by technicians in this industry, which ultimately led to the emergence of the terminal block.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the utility model relates to a mechanical terminal, which adopts an embedded method to realize assembly with the insulating rubber seat, and cooperates to elastically pressurize and limit the flip pressure piece. The mechanical terminal is a metal punching part, which includes a vertical thrust section, a lower embedded section, a middle embedded section and an upper embedded section. The lower embedded section, the middle embedded section and the upper embedded section are all formed by extending forward from the front side wall of the vertical thrust section. When the mechanical terminal is embedded in place relative to the insulating rubber seat, the lower embedded section, the middle embedded section and the vertical thrust section are all hidden in the insulating rubber seat, and the upper embedded section protrudes from the insulating rubber seat by a set length. At different stages in the process of tilting the flip pressure piece, the reaction force on the protruding part of the upper embedded section changes, and its inclination angle with the horizontal is adaptively changed.

[0006] As a further improvement of the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, a limiting notch is formed at the free end of the upper inserting section. When the multiple mechanical terminals are inserted into place relative to the insulating rubber seat, the multiple limiting notches cooperate to limit the turning pressure member.

[0007] As a further improvement of the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, the protruding portion of the upper embedded section undergoes a bevel cutting process, and its width is reduced.

[0008] As a further improvement of the technical solution disclosed in the utility model, a hooking protrusion is formed on the free end of the middle inserting section. When the mechanical terminal is assembled relative to the insulating rubber seat, the hooking protrusion is blocked and limited by the insulating rubber seat.

[0009] As a further improvement to the technical solution disclosed in the present utility model, the mechanical terminal further includes a PCB soldering section. The PCB soldering section is soldered to the PCB and grounded. The PCB soldering section extends rearward from the rear sidewall of the vertical thrust section and is offset from the underlying insertion section.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention also discloses an FPC connector, including a flip pressure piece, a wiring terminal, and the above-mentioned mechanical terminal and an insulating rubber seat. The insulating rubber seat is an injection molded part, and is simultaneously formed with a flexible cable insertion groove, a wiring terminal insertion groove, and a mechanical terminal insertion groove. A plurality of chamfered pressure shafts are formed on the flip pressure piece, and are linearly arrayed along its width direction. In the process of the flip pressure piece performing a circumferential flipping motion due to the action of an external force, the chamfered pressure shaft performs a circumferential rotation motion and is limited in a limiting notch opposite to it. The mechanical terminal insertion groove is composed of an upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove and a lower mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove that are independent of each other, wherein the upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove is used to simultaneously insert the upper insertion section and the middle insertion section, while the lower mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove is used to independently insert the lower insertion section. During the process of embedding the mechanical terminal, the middle embedding section tends to the upper embedding section due to the reaction force, and the hooking protrusion elastically contacts the bottom wall of the upper mechanical terminal embedding sub-slot to perform a sliding motion until the reaction force disappears, and the hooking protrusion is blocked and limited by the insulating rubber seat.

[0011] As a further improvement to the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, a strip-shaped isolator is formed within the mechanical terminal mounting slot to separate the upper mechanical terminal mounting sub-slot from the lower mechanical terminal mounting sub-slot. When the mechanical terminal is properly mounted relative to the insulating rubber base, the hooking protrusion hooks onto the front side wall of the strip-shaped isolator.

[0012] Regarding the mechanical terminal disclosed in this utility model, only the position-limiting flip pressure member is retained, and it is punched from a metal strip. This ensures, on the one hand, that the flip pressure member is constantly subject to the elastic pressure from the mechanical terminal throughout the entire tilting process, ensuring a reliable and stable position limit and an extremely flexible and smooth flipping motion. Furthermore, the mechanical terminal forgoes the signal transmission function, resulting in a minimalist design and paving the way for simplified manufacturing and subsequent assembly processes.

[0013] Furthermore, the main structure of the mechanical terminal includes a vertical thrust section, a lower insert section, a middle insert section, and an upper insert section. These sections are all embedded in the insulating rubber base, with the upper insert section extending beyond the insulating rubber base by a set length to elastically apply pressure to the tilting pressure member. Once installed, the mechanical terminal has a large engagement area relative to the insulating rubber base. This ensures that when the mechanical terminal is subjected to the reaction force from the tilting pressure member, it maintains a strong bond with the insulating rubber base, effectively preventing loosening, even after the tilting pressure member undergoes multiple opening and closing operations.

[0014] For the FPC connector disclosed in the present invention, the mechanical terminal abandons the signal transmission function and only retains the limit flip pressure member function, and it is completely isolated from the signal transmission terminal in the physical space concept, thereby further ensuring the stability and reliability of signal transmission, and to a certain extent weakening electromagnetic waves and crosstalk interference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an FPC connector terminal in the prior art.

[0017] Figure 2 It is an application schematic diagram of the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Front view of .

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 AA cross-sectional view (the soft cable is presented in double-dotted line).

[0021] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a flip pressure member in the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model from one viewing angle.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another viewing angle of the flip pressure member in the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model.

[0023] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the mechanical terminals in the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model.

[0024] Figure 9 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an insulating rubber seat in the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model from one viewing angle.

[0025] Figure 10 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another viewing angle of the insulating rubber seat in the FPC connector disclosed in the utility model.

[0026] Figure 11 yes Figure 9 rear view.

[0027] Figure 12 yes Figure 9 Front view of .

[0028] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 BB cross-sectional view.

[0029] 1- flip pressure piece; 11- chamfered pressure shaft; 2- wiring terminal; 3- mechanical terminal; 31- vertical thrust section; 32- lower embedded section; 33- middle embedded section; 331- hooking protrusion; 34- upper embedded section; 341- limiting notch; 35- PCB board welding section; 4- insulating rubber seat; 41- flexible cable insertion slot; 42- wiring terminal embedded slot; 43- mechanical terminal embedded slot; 431- upper mechanical terminal embedded sub-slot; 432- lower mechanical terminal embedded sub-slot; 433- strip-shaped isolator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "left", "right", "front", "back", "up", "down", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0031] The following is a further detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments. Figure 2 The application diagram of the FPC connector disclosed in the present invention is shown. It can be seen that the FPC connector and the flexible cable work together to achieve the purpose of signal transmission, serving many markets and applications, including consumer electronics, industrial control, displays, printers, automobiles, test and measurement instruments, home appliances and medical equipment.

[0032] Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 5The three-dimensional schematic diagram, front view and AA cross-sectional view of the FPC connector disclosed in the present invention are respectively shown. It can be seen that it is mainly composed of several parts including a flip pressure piece 1, a terminal 2, a mechanical terminal 3 and an insulating rubber seat 4. Among them, the insulating rubber seat 1 is an injection molded part, which is used to insert the flexible cable and serves as the embedding basis for the terminal 2 and the mechanical terminal 3. When the FPC connector is assembled, the terminal 2 and the mechanical terminal 3 are independent of each other and completely isolated. The multiple mechanical terminals 3 are arranged in a linear array and are embedded in order to achieve assembly with the insulating rubber seat 4, cooperating to elastically pressurize and limit the flip pressure piece 1. When the flexible cable is inserted into place relative to the insulating rubber seat 4, the fixed flip pressure piece 1 is flipped into place and locked. The flexible cable is positioned due to the pressure from the flip pressure piece 1, and the multiple terminal 2 arranged in a linear array are elastically pressed on the flexible cable to achieve electrical conduction.

[0033] Figure 8 The three-dimensional schematic diagram of the mechanical terminal in the FPC connector disclosed in the present invention is shown. It can be seen that it is completely different from the traditional design structure. Specifically, the mechanical terminal 3 is mainly composed of a vertical thrust section 31, a lower embedded section 32, a middle embedded section 33 and an upper embedded section 34. Among them, the lower embedded section 32, the middle embedded section 33 and the upper embedded section 34 are all formed by the front side wall of the vertical thrust section 31 extending forward, and the extension lengths of each are different. Figure 5 As shown in , the mechanical terminal 3 has abandoned its signal transmission function, which is now performed collaboratively by multiple independently arranged wiring terminals 2. The mechanical terminal 3 retains only the functions of elastically applying pressure and limiting the flipping of the pressure member 1. Furthermore, when the mechanical terminal 3 is inserted into place relative to the insulating rubber base 4, the lower inserting section 32, the middle inserting section 33, and the vertical thrust section 31 are all concealed within the insulating rubber base. The rear half of the upper inserting section 34 is engaged with the insulating rubber base 4, while the front half protrudes from the insulating rubber base 4. At different stages of the process of tilting and flipping the pressure member 1, the protruding portions of the upper inserting sections 34 cooperate to elastically apply pressure and limit the flipping of the pressure member 1. Simultaneously, the reaction force on the protruding portions of the upper inserting sections 34 changes, allowing their horizontal inclination angle to adapt.

[0034] In practical applications, the mechanical terminal 3 disclosed in the present invention has achieved at least the following beneficial technical effects, specifically:

[0035] 1) Mechanical terminal 3 abandons the signal transmission function, resulting in a minimalist design structure and paving the way for simplifying the manufacturing process and subsequent embedding process;

[0036] 2) During the entire process of tilting the flip pressure member 1, the flip pressure member 1 is always subjected to the coordinated elastic pressure from the multiple upper embedded segments 34, so that the flip pressure member 1 is reliably and stably positioned, and the flipping action is extremely flexible and smooth;

[0037] It should also be noted here that, compared with the traditional design, the mechanical terminal 3 has a larger bonding area relative to the insulating rubber seat 1 after being installed. In this way, when the mechanical terminal 3 is subjected to the reaction force from the flip pressure piece 1, the mechanical terminal 3 always maintains good bonding strength relative to the insulating rubber seat 4, effectively avoiding the occurrence of loosening, even when the flip pressure piece 1 undergoes multiple flipping and closing operations.

[0038] Depend on Figure 8 As shown in FIG, it can also be clearly seen that a limiting notch 341 is formed at the free end of the upper inserting section 34. Figure 5 、 6 As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the flip pressure member 1 is formed with multiple chamfered pressure shafts 11 arranged in a linear array along its width. As the flip pressure member 1 undergoes circumferential flipping motion due to an external force, the chamfered pressure shafts 11 rotate circumferentially and are trapped in the corresponding limiting notches 341. This ensures that the flip pressure member 1 is accurately locked after flipping, and that the flip pressure member 1 can accurately and stably apply pressure to the flexible cable.

[0039] Furthermore, similarly Figure 8 As shown in FIG, the protruding portion of the upper inserting section 34 undergoes a chamfering process, and its width is gradually reduced along the extending direction. Figure 5 On the premise of ensuring stable and reliable elastic pressure on the flip pressure member 1, the elastic modulus of the protruding part of the upper embedded section 34 is controlled within a reasonable value range. In this way, the reaction force from the flip pressure member 1 can be more evenly applied to each upper embedded section 34, and the deformation stage and deformation amount of each upper embedded section 34 tend to be consistent, thereby laying a good foundation for ensuring that the flip pressure member 1 is always subjected to stable elastic pressure during the flipping action.

[0040] like Figure 8 As shown in FIG, a hooking protrusion 331 is formed at the free end of the middle inserting section 33. When the mechanical terminal 3 is assembled relative to the insulating rubber seat 4, the hooking protrusion 331 is blocked and limited by the insulating rubber seat 4.

[0041] Furthermore, as Figure 8It can also be clearly seen from the figure that the mechanical terminal 3 is further provided with a PCB board welding section 35. The PCB board welding section 35 is formed by the rear side wall of the vertical thrust section 31 extending backward, and is offset from the lower inserting section 32. In actual application, the PCB board welding section 35 is welded and fixed to the PCB board, and is grounded. In view of the fact that the multiple mechanical terminals 3 are arranged in a linear array, the area near the plug-in end of the flexible cable can be electromagnetically shielded, and the conduction path for electromagnetic waves and crosstalk interference to be grounded can be shortened, that is, the speed of electromagnetic waves and crosstalk interference being guided and transmitted to the ground for release is increased, thereby ensuring the integrity and stability of high-frequency signals transmitted in the FPC connector, and ensuring that the FPC connector has excellent high-frequency performance.

[0042] Figure 9-13 The following diagrams illustrate the structure of the insulating rubber base in the FPC connector disclosed herein. It can be seen that the insulating rubber base 4 is formed with a flexible cable insertion slot 41, a terminal insertion slot 42, and a mechanical terminal insertion slot 43. The flexible cable insertion slot 41 is for inserting the flexible cable, the terminal insertion slot 42 is for inserting the terminal 2, and the mechanical terminal insertion slot 43 is for inserting the mechanical terminal 3. By adopting this technical solution, the terminal 2 and the mechanical terminal 3 are completely physically isolated, further ensuring stable and reliable signal transmission and, to a certain extent, reducing electromagnetic waves and crosstalk interference.

[0043] like Figure 11-13 As shown in FIG, the mechanical terminal insertion groove 43 is composed of an upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove 431 and a lower mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove 432, each of which is independent of the other. The upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove 431 is used to simultaneously insert the upper insertion section 34 and the middle insertion section 33, while the lower mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove 432 is used to independently insert the lower insertion section 32. During the insertion process of the mechanical terminal 3, the middle insertion section 33 is inclined toward the upper insertion section 34 due to the reaction force, and the hook protrusion 331 elastically contacts the bottom wall of the upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-groove 431, performing a sliding motion until the reaction force disappears and the hook protrusion 331 is blocked and restrained by the insulating rubber base 4.

[0044] Likewise Figure 11-13As can be clearly seen in the figure, a strip-shaped separator 433 is formed within the mechanical terminal mounting groove 43 to separate the upper mechanical terminal mounting sub-groove 431 from the lower mechanical terminal mounting sub-groove 432. Once the mechanical terminal 3 is properly mounted relative to the insulating rubber base 4, the hooking protrusion 331 hooks onto the front sidewall of the strip-shaped separator 433. Thus, during the tilting and turning action of the pressure member 1, the design of the hooking protrusion 331 further enhances the stability and reliability of the mounting of the mechanical terminal 3 relative to the insulating rubber base 4, preventing the mechanical terminal 3 from loosening due to excessive reaction force or from falling out of the insulating rubber base 4.

[0045] Finally, it should be noted that, in order to reduce the difficulty of molding and manufacturing costs, the connection terminals 2 and mechanical terminals 3 are preferably made of batch punching of metal strips, and the matching insulating rubber seat 4 is preferably formed in one piece by injection molding.

[0046] The above description of the disclosed embodiments will enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A mechanical terminal, which is assembled with an insulating rubber seat in an embedded manner, and cooperates with the inverted pressure member to elastically press and limit the position, characterized in that: The mechanical terminal is a metal punching part, which includes a vertical thrust section, a lower insert section, a middle insert section and an upper insert section; the lower insert section, the middle insert section and the upper insert section are all extended forward from the front side wall of the vertical thrust section; when the mechanical terminal is installed in place relative to the insulating rubber seat, the lower insert section, the middle insert section and the vertical thrust section are all hidden in the insulating rubber seat, and the upper insert section extends out of the insulating rubber seat by a set length; at different stages in the process of tilting and flipping the pressure piece, the reaction force on the protruding part of the upper insert section changes, and its inclination angle with the horizontal is adaptively changed.

2. The mechanical terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting notch is formed at the free end of the upper inserting section; when the plurality of mechanical terminals are embedded in place relative to the insulating rubber seat, the plurality of limiting notches cooperate to limit the flipping pressure piece.

3. The mechanical terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that: The protruding portion of the upper inserted section undergoes a chamfering process, and its width is reduced.

4. The mechanical terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that: A hooking protrusion is formed on the free end of the middle embedded section; when the mechanical terminal is assembled relative to the insulating rubber seat, the hooking protrusion is blocked and limited by the insulating rubber seat.

5. The mechanical terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mechanical terminal also includes a PCB board welding section; the PCB board welding section is welded and fixed to the PCB board and is grounded; the PCB board welding section is extended backward from the rear side wall of the vertical thrust section and is offset from the lower embedded section.

6. An FPC connector, comprising a flip pressure member, a terminal block, and the mechanical terminal and the insulating rubber seat as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 5; the insulating rubber seat is an injection molded part, and is simultaneously formed with a flexible cable insertion slot, a terminal block insertion slot, and a mechanical terminal insertion slot; a plurality of chamfered pressure shafts are formed on the flip pressure member, and are linearly arrayed along its width direction; when the flip pressure member performs a circumferential flipping motion due to an external force, the chamfered pressure shaft performs a circumferential rotation motion and is limited in the limiting notch opposite to it; the mechanical terminal insertion slot is composed of an upper mechanical terminal insertion sub-slot and a lower mechanical terminal insertion sub-slot that are independent of each other; wherein, The upper mechanical terminal embedding sub-groove is used to simultaneously embed the upper embedding section and the middle embedding section, while the lower mechanical terminal embedding sub-groove is used to independently embed the lower embedding section; in the process of embedding the mechanical terminal, the middle embedding section tends to the upper embedding section due to the reaction force, and the hook protrusion elastically contacts the bottom wall of the upper mechanical terminal embedding sub-groove to perform a sliding motion until the reaction force disappears, and the hook protrusion is blocked and limited by the insulating rubber seat.

7. The FPC connector according to claim 6, wherein: A strip-shaped isolator is formed in the mechanical terminal embedding groove to isolate the upper mechanical terminal embedding sub-groove and the lower mechanical terminal embedding sub-groove; when the mechanical terminal is embedded in place relative to the insulating rubber seat, the hooking protrusion is hooked on the front side wall of the strip-shaped isolator.

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