Flexible Substrate Connector With Projection Accommodating Portion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional connectors on flexible substrates face issues with poor electrical contact reliability due to insulating material interference and require significant force for mounting, leading to difficult assembly and unreliable connections.
Innovation Solution
A connector design featuring a housing and base member with projections and through-holes that securely sandwich the flexible substrate, allowing easy mounting and ensuring reliable electrical contact by press-fitting the contacts onto the substrate, eliminating the need for shearing the insulating material and reducing assembly force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the piercing piece is stuck into the flat cable to pierce the flexible conductor, then electrical connection is achieved, but insulating material gets sandwiched between the piercing piece and conductor causing poor contact reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful insulating material from the connection interface by using a receiving groove that guides the piercing piece to contact only the flexible conductor. The receiving groove structure separates the insulating material from the critical contact zone, allowing the piercing piece to pierce the conductor without sandwiching insulation material, thus ensuring reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving groove acts as an intermediary structure between the piercing piece and the flexible conductor. It guides the piercing piece along a predetermined path and ensures that only the conductor contacts the piercing piece, while the insulating material is excluded from the contact interface. This mediator structure prevents the harmful effect of insulating material interference.
2Reliability
If a large force is applied to stick the piercing piece into the flat cable, then the flexible conductor is pierced, but the mounting process becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving groove is pre-formed in the receiving member, creating a predetermined path for the piercing piece before assembly. This preliminary structure guides the piercing piece during insertion, distributing the insertion force along the groove path rather than requiring concentrated force at a single point. This reduces the overall force needed and simplifies the mounting operation while ensuring reliable conductor piercing.
Solution Approach 2:
The piercing piece is designed to move dynamically along the receiving groove during insertion. The groove provides a controlled path that allows the piercing piece to progressively engage the flexible conductor, converting a single high-force static insertion into a progressive dynamic process. This dynamic insertion reduces peak force requirements and improves ease of mounting.
3Manufacturing precision
If the piercing piece is inserted along one end of the receiving groove, then alignment is achieved, but the process requires precise positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving groove and piercing piece are designed with complementary geometric features that create a self-aligning system. The groove shape and piercing piece profile are matched to ensure automatic alignment during insertion, eliminating the need for precise manual positioning. This equipotential design ensures that any insertion position along the groove results in proper alignment, simplifying the mounting process while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved electrical connection reliability and simplifies the mounting process by ensuring consistent contact pressure and alignment, enhancing the overall performance and ease of assembly of the connector on flexible substrates.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible conductor 7 inside the flat cable 2 is sheared by the piercing piece 3
Implementation Method 2
the flexible conductor 7 is covered with an insulating material 8 of the flat cable 2
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A connector includes a base member (14) having a first surface (14B) facing a rear surface of a flexible substrate and a projection (14C) projecting from the first surface, and a contact (13) which has a second surface (13C) facing a flexible conductor exposed on a front surface of the flexible substrate and a projection accommodating portion (13D) disposed in the second surface, the first surface (14B) of the base member (14) coming into contact with the rear surface (21B) of the flexible substrate (21) and the second surface (13C) of the contact (13) coming into contact with the front surface (21A) of the flexible substrate, the projection (14C) being inserted into the projection accommodating portion (13D) with the flexible substrate being sandwiched therebetween, and an inner peripheral surface of the projection accommodating portion coming into contact with the flexible conductor in a direction parallel to the second surface to electrically connect the contact (13) to the flexible conductor (21C).