IP Library Granted Patent US 11,626,674
Granted Patent B2
US 11,626,674 · App. 17/612,063 · Granted Apr 11, 2023

Terminal and flexible board with terminal

Inventors: Pipatthana Phatiwuttipat (Mie, JP); Masaaki Tabata (Mie, JP); Yasuo Omori (Mie, JP)
Assignees: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.; SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
H01R12/69
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,626,674
App. No.
17/612,063
Granted
Apr 11, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

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.

Claims (20)

1. A terminal to be connected to a front end part of a flexible board including an insulating base film and a conductive path formed on at least one of front and back surfaces of the base film, the terminal comprising:

a terminal body including a sandwiching portion for sandwiching the flexible board; and

a tubular shell to be disposed outside sandwiching portion,

wherein:

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, and

the narrow portion is located outside the sandwiching portion, whereby the conductive contact portion of the sandwiching portion contacts the conductive path.

2. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal body includes two sandwiching portions located on sides of the front and back surfaces of the flexible board and the shell includes two pressurizing portions for respectively pressurizing the two sandwiching portions.

3. The terminal of claim 2 , wherein one of the two sandwiching portions is provided with the conductive contact portion, and the other of the two sandwiching portions is provided with an insulated contact portion for contacting the base film of the flexible board.

4. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the pressurizing portion is formed with a guide slope inclined inwardly of the shell toward a front side in an extending direction of the conductive path on a rear side in the extending direction.

5. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein:

the wide portion is provided on a front side of the shell in an extending direction of the conductive path and the narrow portion is provided on a rear side of the shell in the extending direction, and

the shell is slidable between a first state where the wide portion is located outside the sandwiching portion and the pressurizing portion is not in contact with the sandwiching portion and a second state where the narrow portion is located outside the sandwiching portion and the pressurizing portion presses the sandwiching portion toward the flexible board.

6. The terminal of claim 5 , wherein both or one of the terminal body and the shell include(s) a partial locking portion for holding the terminal body and the shell in the first state and a full locking portion for holding the terminal body and the shell in the second state.

7. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the sandwiching portion is formed with a resiliently deformable spring portion, and the flexible board is pressed by a resilient force of the spring portion.

8. The terminal of claim 7 , wherein the spring portion is in the form of a leaf spring extending forward from a rear side of the sandwiching portion in an extending direction of the conductive path.

9. A flexible board with terminal, comprising:

the terminal of claim 1 ; and

a flexible board to be connected to the terminal.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 17, 2021
From: PHATIWUTTIPAT, PIPATTHANA; TABATA, MASAAKI; OMORI, YASUO
To: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.; SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.; SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 058139/0216 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2019-100018 · May 29, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220209441A1 · Jun 30, 2022