Flexible circuit board connector having insulation removal mechanism

An electrical connector for establishing an electrical connection between an external conductor and a planar conductor of an insulated flexible circuit board, comprising:

• an insulative housing having a slot for receiving a portion of said circuit board that includes an extension of said planar conductor;
• an electrically conductive cutting mechanism supported for movement within said insulative housing within limits defined by a tapered recess of said housing in a manner to permit movement of said cutting mechanism between a deployed position in which the cutting mechanism at least partially extends into said slot in alignment with the extension of said planar conductor, and an un-deployed position in which said cutting mechanism is retracted from said slot;
• and
• an electrically conductive spring element electrically connected to said external conductor, and supported in said housing to contact said cutting mechanism and bias said cutting mechanism toward an apex of said tapered recess while yielding to permit said cutting mechanism to move away from said apex to said un-deployed position upon insertion of said circuit board portion into said slot, such that upon subsequent partial extraction of said circuit board portion, said spring element biases said cutting mechanism back toward the apex of said tapered recess, and said cutting mechanism penetrates an insulation layer of said circuit board and electrically contacts the extension of said planar conductor when said recess limits movement of said cutting mechanism in a direction of the spring element bias.