Connector assembly and connecting method
AssigneeJapan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited
InventorAkira Kimura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The connector assembly includes: a sheet type conductive member including a flexible conductor; an electric wire; and a connector, in which the connector includes a first insulator including a first retaining surface and a second insulator including a second retaining surface, the sheet type conductive member includes a first sheet portion including a retained portion disposed on the first retaining surface and a second sheet portion disposed on the second retaining surface, a protrusion portion and the conductor portion of the electric wire are accommodated in a recess portion of the first insulator in a state where the conductor portion of the electric wire is disposed along a surface of the protrusion portion of the second insulator.
Claims17
A connector assembly comprising:
- a sheet type conductive member including a flexible conductor exposed on a surface thereof;
- an electric wire including a conductor portion;
- and
- a connector for connecting the conductor portion to the flexible conductor,
- wherein the connector includes a first insulator and a second insulator, the first insulator including a first retaining surface and a recess portion formed in the first retaining surface, and the second insulator including a second retaining surface opposed to the first retaining surface and a protrusion portion formed on the second retaining surface to protrude therefrom and corresponding to the recess portion,
- the sheet type conductive member includes a first sheet portion and a second sheet portion, the first sheet portion including a retained portion disposed on the first retaining surface, and the second sheet portion being disposed on the second retaining surface,
- the flexible conductor is exposed on a surface of the retained portion of the first sheet portion, and an end portion of the flexible conductor is disposed in the recess portion,
- the protrusion portion and the conductor portion of the electric wire are accommodated in the recess portion in a state where the conductor portion of the electric wire is disposed along a surface of the protrusion portion, and
- the first insulator and the second insulator are fixed to each other such that overlapping portions of the retained portion of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion are held between the first retaining surface and the second retaining surface, whereby the flexible conductor makes contact with and is electrically connected to the conductor portion of the electric wire in the recess portion.
A connecting method for connecting a conductor portion of an electric wire to a flexible conductor exposed on a surface of a sheet type conductive member, the connecting method comprising:
- in a connector forming component in which a first insulator and a second insulator are joined to each other by an insulator joint portion such that a first retaining surface of the first insulator and a second retaining surface of the second insulator are situated in a same plane, disposing a retained portion of a first sheet portion of the sheet type conductive member having the flexible conductor exposed thereon on the first retaining surface, and a second sheet portion of the sheet type conductive member joined to the retained portion via a sheet joint portion on the second retaining surface,
- disposing the conductor portion of the electric wire along a surface of a protrusion portion formed on the second retaining surface to protrude therefrom,
- cutting and removing the insulator joint portion from the connector forming component,
- folding the sheet joint portion to thereby accommodate the protrusion portion and the conductor portion of the electric wire together with an end portion of the flexible conductor exposed on the retained portion of the first sheet portion into a recess portion formed in the first retaining surface of the first insulator, with the first retaining surface and the second retaining surface being opposed to each other, and
- fixing the first insulator and the second insulator to each other while the retained portion of the first sheet portion and the second sheet portion are held between the first retaining surface and the second retaining surface, whereby the flexible conductor makes contact with and is electrically connected to the conductor portion of the electric wire in the recess portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.