Terminal and Flexible Board Connection via Press-Fit Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high manufacturing costs associated with connecting terminals to flexible printed circuit (FPC) boards using conventional welding methods or soldering, which require specialized equipment like welding machines or reflow furnaces.
Innovation Solution
A terminal design featuring a tubular shell with a pressurizing portion that sandwiches the flexible board, eliminating the need for large-scale facilities by using a sliding mechanism to establish electrical contact without soldering, thus reducing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If resistance welding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding or soldering is used to connect the connection terminal and the circuit of the FPC board, then the connection reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to the need for specialized welding machines or reflow furnaces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for expensive specialized welding or soldering equipment by using a simple press-fit connection mechanism. The connection terminal is designed with a pressing portion that directly mechanically engages with the circuit board through insertion and pressing operations, removing the requirement for welding machines, ultrasonic equipment, laser welding systems, or reflow furnaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection terminal structure includes an elastic portion that automatically generates pressing force to maintain reliable electrical contact with the circuit board without requiring external welding or soldering processes. The elastic deformation of the pressing portion provides self-contained connection reliability through its own elastic properties rather than relying on external equipment.
2Ease of manufacture
If a tubular shell with pressurizing portion is used to sandwich the flexible board, then the manufacturing cost is reduced by eliminating specialized equipment, but the device complexity increases due to the shell structure
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular shell structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical protection for the connection terminal, acts as a guide for the flexible board insertion, and through its pressurizing portion provides the necessary pressing force to ensure reliable electrical contact. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device structure despite the added shell.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a tubular shell structure that can flexibly accommodate the flexible board while providing necessary mechanical constraints. The shell's design allows it to apply distributed pressing force through the pressurizing portion while maintaining a simple overall structure that can be manufactured using conventional processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A terminal to be connected to a front end part of a flexible board including an insulating base film and a conductive path is provided with a terminal body including a sandwiching portion for sandwiching the flexible board and a tubular shell to be disposed outside sandwiching portion. The sandwiching portion includes a conductive contact portion for contacting the conductive path of the flexible board. The shell includes a pressurizing portion for pressing the sandwiching portion toward the flexible board, the pressurizing portion projecting inwardly of the shell. The shell includes a wide portion not formed with the pressurizing portion and a narrow portion narrower inside than the wide portion by being formed with the pressurizing portion. The narrow portion is located outside the sandwiching portion, whereby the conductive contact portion of the sandwiching portion contacts the conductive path.