Flexible PCB voice coil connector

• US 7,447,327 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Star Micronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Star Micronics Company Limited
• Inventors: Imahori, Yoshio, Fushimi, Isao, Kitamura, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Ensey; Brian
• Application Number:
  US11/126,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20050254680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 381/400, 381/401, 381/407, 381/409, 381/410, 439/67, 295/94
• US Class Current: 381/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/06 Arranging circuit leads; Relieving strain on circuit leads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups

Abstract

In an electroacoustic transducer, a pair of coil terminals elongating from a voice coil are electrically connected to a pair of terminal members attached to a frame via a flexible printed circuit board, respectively. According to the configuration, even in a case where an electroacoustic transducer is used at a high sound pressure, breakage of the coil terminals hardly occurs. In the flexible printed circuit board, the width of an intermediate portion is set to be smaller than the widths of an end portion on the side of the coil terminals and an end portion on the side of the terminal members. Therefore, the flexibility of the intermediate portion can be enhanced, whereby transmission of characteristic vibration of the flexible printed circuit board to a diaphragm, and stress concentration in the vicinity of the end portions are effectively suppressed.

Claims

1. An electroacoustic transducer comprising:

a diaphragm;

a voice coil which is fixed to a lower face of the diaphragm and has a pair of coil terminals elongating therefrom;

a frame which supports an outer peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm;

a pair of terminal members which are attached to the frame; and

a conductive member which electrically connects the pair of terminal members to the pair of coil terminals, respectively,

wherein the conductive member is configured by a flexible printed circuit board in which a pair of conductive patterns are formed on an insulating film, the conductive member is electrically conductively fixed to the coil terminals and the terminal members in respective end portions of the conductive patterns, and

in the flexible printed circuit board, a width of an intermediate portion which is located between an end portion on a side of the coil terminals and an end portion on a side of the terminal members is set to be smaller than widths of the end portions;

wherein electrical conduction and fixation between the conductive patterns and the coil terminals are conducted by thermocompression bonding, and

wherein the thermocompression bonding is preformed by applying heat and pressure to the conductive patterns and the coil terminals, to thereby be self-welded with each other without any solder.

2. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein in each of the conductive patterns, a width in the intermediate portion is smaller than widths in the end portions.

3. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein in the flexible printed circuit board, widths of portions where the intermediate portion is connected to the end portions are gradually increased as advancing from the intermediate portion to the end portions.

4. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein a width of the intermediate portion of the flexible printed circuit board is set to be equal to or smaller than 2 mm.

5. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the flexible printed circuit board is set to be equal to or smaller than 0.25 mm.

6. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein in the flexible printed circuit board, the end portion on the side of the coil terminals is clampingly held by the voice coil and the diaphragm.

7. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 2, wherein in the flexible printed circuit board, widths of portions where the intermediate portion is connected to the end portions are gradually increased as advancing from the intermediate portion to the end portions.

8. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 7, wherein a width of the intermediate portion of the flexible printed circuit board is set to be equal to or smaller than 2 mm.

9. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 8, wherein a thickness of the flexible printed circuit board is set to be equal to or smaller than 0.25 mm.

10. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein in the flexible printed circuit board, the end portion on the side of the coil terminals is clampingly held by the voice coil and the diaphragm.

11. The electroacoustic transducer according to claim 1, wherein a part, where the electrical conduction and fixation is conducted between the conductive patterns and the coil terminals, is applied with an overcoat by spot bonding, the overcoat preventing breaking of the coil terminals.