EP1394905A1

EP1394905A1 - CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRO−ACOUSTIC COMPONENT AND CONNECTION STRUCTURE THEREOF

Info

Publication number: EP1394905A1
Application number: EP02730790A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kazuhiko Aoki
Original assignee: Shin Etsu Polymer Co Ltd; Shin Etsu Chemical Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shin Etsu Polymer Co Ltd; Shin Etsu Chemical Co Ltd
Priority date: 2001-06-08
Filing date: 2002-05-30
Publication date: 2004-03-03
Also published as: EP1394905A8; WO2002101885A1; CN1541433A; KR100598250B1; TWI277736B; CN1331275C; NO20035457D0; JPWO2002101885A1; EP1394905A4; KR20040007662A

Abstract

A connector includes an insulative holder 10 partly fitted at the periphery on the underside of an electroacoustic component 1 and a conductive connecting part 20 put through, and supported by this holder 10 and to be in pressure contact with the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1. Holder 10 is formed having an approximately U-shaped section so as to be fitted covering an electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1. Holder 10 is formed with a pocket hole 11, and conductive connecting part 20 is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece 21 fitted into pocket hole 11 of holder 10 and a multiple number of fine conductive wires 22 arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of elastic resin piece 21, so as to establish conduction between the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1 and those of a circuit board 30.

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure for establishing electric conduction between an electroacoustic component such as a microphone, speaker etc., and an electrically joined object such as a circuit board or the like, such as those used in a cellular phone or a mobile terminal (handy PC, PDA, etc.)

Background Art

When an electroacoustic component is used for voice communication for a cellular phone or as a confirmation sound generator, the electroacoustic component and the circuit board should be electrically connected. As the method of conduction, pin terminals and lead wires with soldering connections have been used conventionally. With the recent spread of cellular phones and increased variety of the products thereof, the product life becomes shorter. With this trend, the packaging method of the electroacoustic component is also being reconsidered. As one of such reconsideration, making use of cheap spring terminals is under investigation, from the viewpoint of equipment usage and manufacturing cost.
As stated above, for completing electric conduction of an electroacoustic component with the electrodes of the circuit board, soldering with use of pin terminals and lead wires or use of cheap spring terminals has been conventionally practiced. However, these methods entail the problems as follows.
First, when an electroacoustic component is directly soldered to a circuit board, if a repair is needed due to wrong handling or the like the electroacoustic component cannot be used again, hence it is not possible at all to improve efficiency.
In the case of spring terminal use, since a measure of space needs to be secured for connection, it is difficult to deal with the recent trend of cellular phones towards miniaturization and light-weight configurations. Further, all the electroacoustic components will understandably and inevitably generate vibration therearound, and generation of vibration makes the connection resistance of the spring terminals unstable. In addition, since the spring terminal is put under repeated application of load, there is more than a small risk that fatigue (also called wear-out) may occur or gilded portions of electrodes may be abraded. As a result, the resistivity will increase and it will be impossible to maintain stable conductive connection.
In order to solve these problems, a technology of using a coil type spring terminal has been proposed. This technology is able to solve the above problem to a certain degree, but it is still difficult to solve the fatigue problem of the spring terminal.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electroacoustic component connector and connecting structure therefor, which allows the electroacoustic component to be used again even when a repair is needed, can deal with miniaturization and reduction in weight of the electrically joined object, and can solve the problems of instability of connection resistance entailing from vibration, fatigue of connecting terminals and unstable connection.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been devised to achieve the above object and the gist is as follows:
First of all, the first aspect of the present invention resides in an electroacoustic component connector fitted to an electroacoustic component having electrodes, comprising:
an insulative holder attached to the electroacoustic component; and a conductive connecting part provided for the holder so as to be put in contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Next, the second aspect of the present invention resides in the electroacoustic component connector defined by the first aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted to the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The third aspect of the present invention resides in the electroacoustic component connector defined by the first aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch on the surface of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Next, the fourth aspect of the present invention resides in the electroacoustic component connector defined by the first aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder, the elastic resin piece being formed of insulative elastomers and conductive elastomers laminated alternately, so that the conductive elastomers of the elastic resin piece are put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Further, the fifth aspect of the present invention resides in the electroacoustic component connector defined by the first aspect, wherein the conductive connecting part is comprised of conductive wires to be put in inclined contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, an elastic, first insulative elastomer attached to part of one side of the conductive wires and an elastic, second insulative elastomer attached to part of the opposite side of the conductive wires, and the first and second elastomers are arranged approximately point-symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the length of the conductive wires while contact area reducing spaces are formed between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the first insulative elastomer and between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the second insulative elastomer, respectively, and either the first or second insulative elastomer is provided for the holder.
Moreover, the sixth aspect of the present invention resides in a connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector, characterized in that an electroacoustic component having electrodes at the peripheral portion thereof is electrically connected to the electrodes of an electrically joined object by an electroacoustic component connector comprising: an insulative holder attached to the electroacoustic component having electrodes; and a conductive connecting part provided for the holder so as to be put in contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Next, the seventh aspect of the present invention resides in the connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector defined by the sixth aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted to the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of the elastic resin piece, to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Further, the eighth aspect of the present invention resides in the connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector defined by the sixth aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch on the surface of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Next, the ninth aspect of the present invention resides in the connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector defined by the sixth aspect, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder, the elastic resin piece being formed of insulative elastomers and conductive elastomers laminated alternately, so that the conductive elastomers of the elastic resin piece are put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
Moreover, the tenth aspect of the present invention resides in the connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector defined by the sixth aspect, wherein the conductive connecting part is comprised of conductive wires to be put in inclined contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, an elastic, first insulative elastomer attached to part of one side of the conductive wires and an elastic, second insulative elastomer attached to part of the opposite side of the conductive wires, and the first and second elastomers are arranged approximately point-symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the length of the conductive wires while contact area reducing spaces are formed between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the first insulative elastomer and between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the second insulative elastomer, respectively, and either the first or second insulative elastomer is provided for the holder.
Here, the electroacoustic component of the present invention may take any shape such as button-like, cylindrical, rectangular, rectangular prism-like, polygonal or other shape. The electrodes of this electroacoustic component may be a pair of flat metal plates or may be multiple f lexed leaf springs, or coil springs. Attachment of the holder to this electroacoustic component may be done by convexo-concave mating, insertion using positioning pins, bonding, adhesion etc. The holder and conductive connecting part may be formed separately, or may be provided by assembling them after individual fabrication. Alternatively, they may be integrally formed of silicone rubber etc.
Further, the holder may be formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component. The holder may be formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part may be constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component. The approximate U-shaped section implies similar shapes such as angled U-shape, C-shape and the like. The approximate center implies the mathematical middle point and roughly central points. Sentences including 'approximately point symmetrical' should also be understood similarly. Further, examples of the electrically joined object include various kinds of circuit boards (e. g. , printed board, flexible board, buildup wiring board), LCD display.

Brief Description of Drawings

Fig.1 is a perspective view showing an electroacoustic component in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.2 is a perspective view from the rear side, showing an electroacoustic component in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.3 is a rear side view showing an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.4 is a side view showing an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a holder in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention, (a) showing an illustrative view showing anti-drop claws formed by bending at both free ends of a holder, (b) an illustrative view showing a state where both free ends of a holder are fitted on an electrode portion of an electroacoustic component, and (c) an illustrative view showing a holder having free ends formed in a rectangular prism configuration.
Fig.7 is an illustrative view showing a holder in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.8 is a plan view showing a conductive connecting part in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.9 is a sectional view showing a conductive connecting part in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.10 is an illustrative view showing a state where a holder and a conductive connecting part are formed into one-piece configuration in an embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.11 is a perspective view showing a conductive connecting part in a second embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.12 is a perspective view showing a conductive connecting part in a third embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.13 is a rear side view showing a conductive connecting part in a fourth embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.14 is a side view showing a conductive connecting part in a fourth embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.15 is an illustrative view showing a holder and a conductive connecting part in a fourth embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.16 is an illustrative view showing a holder and a conductive connecting part in a fourth embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.17 is an illustrative view showing a holder and a conductive connecting part in a fifth embodiment of an electroacoustic component connector and its connecting structure according to the present invention.
Fig.18 is an illustrative sectional view showing a connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings. An electroacoustic component connector in the present embodiment includes: as shown in Figs. 1 to 9 and Fig.18, an insulative holder 10 covering or fitted on an electrode portion 2 at the periphery on the underside of an electroacoustic component 1 as part of a cellular phone; a conductive connecting part 20 put through, and supported by this holder 10 and to be in pressure contact with a pair of electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1 located below, and completes conduction between the paired electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1 and the electrodes on a circuit board 30 located above, by its being pressed.
Examples of electroacoustic component 1 include various kinds of speakers (including receivers) or microphones (e. g. , non-directional microphones, directional microphones and the like), and it is arranged with its vibrating membrane down in Fig.4. This electroacoustic component 1 basically has a short cylindrical shape, circular button shape or the like, as shown in Figs.1 and 2, with part of its outer periphery radially projected forming electrode portion 1 of an approximate rectangle. Arranged on the rear side of this electrode portion 2 as a backplate are a pair of electrodes 3, as rectangular metal plates, spaced at a predetermined distance.
Holder 10 is formed of predetermined material by injection molding, extrusion, pasting, machining etc., and is detachably fitted and engaged with electrode portion 2 at the peripheral part of electroacoustic component 1, as shown in Figs.3 to 5. As the material for this holder 10, multi-purpose plastics, engineering plastics which are excellent in heat resistance, dimensional stability, moldability and the like, various kinds of elastomers (e.g., silicone rubber) and the like may be used. Specific examples include polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, ABS resin, polycarbonate, polycarbonate containing glass fiber, polyetherimide, polyamide, polyether sulfone, aromatic polyester, liquid crystal polymers. Of these materials, polycarbonate is the most suitable in view of workability and cost.
It is noted that the material of holder 10 should not be limited thereto. For example, the same material as for an aftermentioned elastic resin piece 21 and a support layer 23 may be used.
Holder 10 is formed by bending into, basically, a flat projected shape, in a shape having a U-cross-section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape as shown in Fig.3 and Figs.5 to 7, having a pocket hole 11 for a conductive connecting part formed in an elongated, approximately elliptic or rectangular shape. The free ends of the holder 10, extending downward on both sides, are bent inwards forming anti-drop claws 12 (see Fig.6(a)) in consideration of assembly and cost performances etc. These anti-drop claws 12 detachably engage electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1 so as to effectively prevent conductive connecting part 20 from dislodging.
However, this configuration should not limit the invention. Dislodging may be prevented by fitting the free ends of holder 10 into electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1 or may be prevented by forming the free end portions of holder 10 into an angled prism shape so as to fit the electrode portion 2 of the electroacoustic component (see Figs.6(b) and (c)).
Conductive connecting part 20, as shown in Figs.3, 8 and 9, is comprised of an insulative, elastic resin piece 21 which is detachably or fixedly fitted into pocket hole 11 of holder 10, and a multiple number of fine metal wires 22 embedded linearly in the height direction of the elastic resin piece 21 and arranged in multiple rows with a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction, so as to come into contact with paired electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1. Elastic resin piece 21 is given as a block body which is formed of a predetermined material stable in shape so that it will neither significantly deform due to gravity nor be plastically deformed after its hardening. Further, it may have a support layer(s) 23 of the same shape selectively bonded to one side or both sides thereof.
Materials which can be considered for elastic resin piece 21 and support layer 23 are natural rubber, copolymer rubbers such as butadiene-styrene, acrylonitorile-butadiene, acrylonitorile-butadiene-styrene, styrene-ethylene, ethylene-propylene, ethylene-propylene-dien, synthetic rubbers such as chloroprene rubber, silicone rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloro-sulfonated polyethylene rubber, polysulfide rubber, butyl rubber, fluoro rubber, urethane rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, and thermoplastic elastomers such as polyester elastomer etc., plasticized-vinyl-chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, etc. Of these, silicone rubber, which is inexpensive and excellent in aging performance, electric insulation, heat-resistance, compression set, workability and the like, is the best.
Use of the same material as that of holder 10 is most suitable for integration of holder 10 and conductive connecting part 20.
As a silicone rubber, dimethyl-, methylphenyl- and methylvinyl-polysiloxanes, halide polysiloxanes blended with a filler such as silica so as to have a proper rheology characteristic, halide polysiloxanes vulcanized or cured with metal salt, can usually be considered.
Multiple fine metal wires 22 are arranged so that each electrode 3 of electroacoustic component 1 comes into contact with two or more fine metal wires 22. The reason for this is that if multiple fine metal wires 22 are put in contact with each electrode 3 of electroacoustic component 1, the resistance is stabilized and stress concentration can be alleviated. Each fine metal wire 22 may be formed of gold, silver, gold alloy, copper, aluminum, aluminum-silicon alloy, brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, nickel, nickel-titanium alloy, molybdenum, tungsten, stainless steel, iron, iron-carbon alloy or the like, or may be formed of one of these plated with metal as required. Of these, fine metal wire 22 plated with gold, is preferred in view of stability of the resistance and stability against corrosion and the like under high-temperature high-humidity environments.
The diameter of each fine metal wire 22 should fall within the range of 3 to 500 µm, preferably 10 to 100 µm. This range is specified because if the wires are too thin they might break when arrayed. Conversely, if they are too thick, the desired small pitch cannot be achieved. Further, if the diameter of each fine metal wire 22 is specified within the range of 3 to 500 µm, preferably 10 to 100 µm, easy handling and moldability can be obtained.
In the above configuration, conduction between electroacoustic component 1 and circuit board 30 is made by fitting holder 10 so as to cover electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1, fitting conductive connecting part 20 through pocket hole 11 of the holder 10 so as to be supported thereby, placing one end portion of fine metal wires 22 into contact with electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1, fitting the assembly into the case of a cellular phone etc., placing the other end portion of fine metal wires 22 into contact with the electrodes of circuit board 30, and finally pressing down circuit board 30 so as to be fixed, whereby conduction between the electroacoustic component 1 and circuit board 30 can be reliably established (see Fig.18).
Alternatively, conduction between electroacoustic component 1 and circuit board 30 may be made by fitting conductive connecting part 20 through pocket hole 11 of the holder 10 so as to be supported thereby, fitting holder 10 so as to cover electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1, and placing fine metal wires 22 of conductive connecting part 20 into contact with electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1. The action in which conductive connecting part 20 is fitted through and supported by pocket hole 11 of holder 10 can be done manually or automatically by an automatic assembly system. Further, instead of providing holder 10 and conductive connecting part 20 separately, they may be formed integrally as shown in Fig.10, so as to reduce the number of parts.
In the above configuration, since electric connection between electroacoustic component 1 and circuit board 30 is not made by soldering, the electroacoustic component 1 can be used again evenwhen repairs are needed due to wrong handling, whereby it is possible to markedly improve the work efficiency etc. Further, since fine metal wires 22 are used instead of spring terminals, it is no longer necessary to reserve the predetermined space for connection. Accordingly, it is possible to deal with the recent trend of cellular phones etc. towards miniaturization and light-weight configurations.
Since there is no risk of the connection resistance becoming unstable, fatigue occurring due to repeated application of load or gilded portions of the electrodes peeling off, it is possible to secure markedly stable connecting conduction. Moreover, since no coil type spring terminal is used, fatigue and like problems can be effectively eliminated. Still more, since holder 10 is constructed so as to only fit and cover electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1 instead of fitting and housing electroacoustic component 1, marked reduction of material and reduction in manufacturing cost can be expected.
Next, Fig.11 shows the second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a conductive connecting part 20 is constituted of an insulative elastic resin piece 21 having an approximate semi-oval shape, detachably fitted to a pocket hole 11 of a holder 10 and a multiple number of fine metal wires 22 which are shaped in an approximate U-form and arranged in a row with a predetermined pitch on the curved surface of the elastic resin piece 21 so that the wires can be put in pressing contact with the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1 and those of circuit board 30. An unillustrated, separated rubber layer may be selectively bonded to the linear, upright surfaces of elastic resin piece 21.
Holder 10 and conductive connecting part 20 instead of being formed separately can be formed integrally. The material of elastic resin piece 21 is the same as that of the elastic resin piece 21 and support layer 23. Since other components are the same as the above embodiment, description is omitted.
Also in the above embodiment, the same operational effect as that of the aforementioned embodiment can be expected. Also, this configuration is markedly effective when fine metal wires 22 cannot be linearly embedded in the height direction of elastic resin piece 21.
Next, Fig.12 shows the third embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a conductive connecting part 20 is given as a block-shaped elastic resin piece 21 which can be detachably fitted to a pocket hole 11 of a holder 10. This elastic resin piece 21 is constructed so that plate-like, elastic, insulative elastomer 25 and conductive elastomer 26 are arranged alternately, forming multiple laminations abreast in a row, with their joined faces parallel to each other. Multiple layers of conductive elastomer 26 of the elastic resin piece 21 are pressed against the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1 and those of circuit board 30.
The hardness (measured by the testing method specified by JIS-K6253(ISO7619)) of elastic resin piece 21 is preferably set at 50 to 80° , preferably 60 to 80° . This hardness setting enables uniform connection upon conduction even if the compressibility is markedly low as small as 2 to 10%, and can eliminate almost completely the buckling entailed with compression. Further, it is possible to obtain a reliable and stable connected state by a small load acting on the appliance. Resultantly, it is possible to promote development into compact and lightweight configurations.
Elastic resin piece 21 is produced by printing or calendering. Calendering is preferable because stable production can be obtained. For example, a thin film of insulative elastomer 25 is formed over a polyethylene terephthalate film by calendering, and is heated and cured. Then, a film of conductive elastomer 26 is formed on the insulative elastomer 25 by calendering. The thus obtained lamination of films is peeled off from the polyethylene terephthalate film, so that the laminations as a whole are formed in multiple layers with the same orientation as that above, forming a block body. Thereafter, this is cut into slices so as to produce elastic resin piece 21.
Insulative elastomer 25 and conductive elastomer 26 differ only in whether conductive material is added or not. The material of insulative elastomer 25 and conductive elastomer 26 is the same as that of elastic resin piece 21 and support layer 23. For conductive elastomer 26, the amount of 50 to 800 parts by weight, preferably 100 to 600 parts by weight of conductive material is added. This is so specified because if the amount is less than 50 parts by weight, satisfactory resistivity cannot be obtainedhence the expected connector function cannot be obtained. Conversely, when the amount is greater than 800 parts by weight, the function as an elastic body cannot be achieved.
As the conductive material for conductive elastomer 26, carbon compounds, graphite, gold, silver, gold alloy, copper, aluminum, aluminum-silicon alloy, brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, nickel, nickel-titanium alloy, molybdenum, tungsten, stainless steel, iron, iron-carbon alloy or the like may be used. The conductive material may have a variety of particle shapes, such as spherical, elliptic, flaked and other forms. The particle may be a metallic particle as well as a thermoplastic resin particle, heat-curing resin particle, silica particle etc., plated with metal, as required. These particles may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds. From the viewpoint of stabilizing the resistivity, particles plated with silver or gold are preferred.
Holder 10 and elastic resin piece 21, or holder 10 and conductive connecting part 20, may be integrally formed, instead of being formed separately. The other configurations are the same as the above embodiments, so description is omitted.
Also in the above embodiment, the same operational effect as that of the aforementioned embodiments can be expected. Also, since there is no need to array a number of fine metal wires 22, it is obvious that marked reduction in the number of parts and improvement of workability can be expected.
Next, Fig.13 to Figs.16(a) and (b) show the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a holder 10 is formed in a bent configuration having an approximate L-shaped section and is bonded or adhered so as to cover electrodes 2 on the underside of an electroacoustic component 1. A conductive connecting part 20 is comprised of a multiple number of conductive wires 27 arranged between electroacoustic component 1 and a circuit board 30 in such a manner that the wires are inclined with respect to the vertical or approach direction, an elastic, first insulative elastomer 28 which is partially bonded to the rear side of the multiple conductive wires 27 and put into elastic contact with electrodes 3 of electroacoustic component 1 and an elastic second insulative elastomer 28A which is partially bonded to the obverse side of the multiple conductive wires 27 and put into elastic contact with the electrodes of circuit board 30. The first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A are arranged so that they are set off from, and yet arranged approximately point-symmetrically with respect to, the approximate center P of the length of conductive wires 27, so that their cross-section forms an approximate X-shape while the first insulative elastomer 28 is bonded at its end and joined to holder 10 in such a manner that the exposed side of conductive wire 27 with the first or second insulative elastomer 28, 28A defines a contact area reducing space 29 of a triangular section.
Multiple conductive wires 27 are arranged abreast in a row with a predetermined pitch of 0.02 mm or greater, for example, as shown in Fig.13 and Figs.15(a) and 15(b). These multiple conductive wires 27 linearly extend with a predetermined angle of inclination. This angle of inclination is preferably 30° to 60° , preferably 45° . If the angle of inclination is less than 30° , the pressure reducing effect upon conduction is so low that conductive wires 27 are liable to buckle. Conversely, when the angle exceeds 60° , the height dimension of the electroacoustic component connector is too low to absorb the variation entailed with compression of the electroacoustic component connector.
Each conductive wire 27 is formed of gold, gold alloy, copper, aluminum, aluminum-silicon alloy, brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium bronze, nickel, nickel-titanium alloy, molybdenum, tungsten, stainless steel, iron, iron-carbon alloy or the like, and is provided in an elongated plate-like, strip-like or line form, with its surface plated with gold, gold alloy or the like, as required. In order to improve adhesion of the wires to the first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A, the surface of conductive wires 27 is degreased with a solvent as required. Further, when the first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A are of silicone rubber, an adhesive adjuvant (e.g., silane-coupling agent) with silicone rubber is applied as required, in order to enhance adhesion.
The thickness of each conductive wire 27 is 0.01 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.02 to 0.5 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.01 mm, the material lacks strength as a wire, is poor in durability when used as a product and presents poor handling performance when fabricated. Conversely, when the thickness exceeds 0.5 mm, the rigidity of the material is too high to regulate the connecting load, and it is difficult to perform processings such as etching, laser shaping, press stamping, etc.
The approximate center P in the length of conductive wire 27 indicates the half point and thereabout of the length of conductive wire 27.
The first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A are made of elastic, nonfoamed material such as of silicone rubber, polybutadiene-rubber, natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, urethane rubber, chloroprene rubber, polyester rubber, styrene-butadiene copolymerized rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, or foamed material of one of these, and each have a thickness extended in the interior direction of Fig.12 and each are formed with a bend having an approximate L-shaped, approximate V-shaped or approximate open V-shaped cross section. These elastomers are arranged so as to partly overlap each other sandwiching conductive wires 27 when fabricated. As the material of first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A having the same form, of the above-mentioned materials, silicone rubber, which is excellent in electric insulation, heat resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance and compression set is the best.
The hardness of first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A ranges from 10° to 70° H in rubber hardness, and preferably ranges from 30° to 60° H. Beyond this range, the rubber hardness is too high and a high contact pressure is needed. When the rubber hardness is less than 30° H, a sticky feeling which is peculiar to silicone rubber occurs after forming, hence causing difficulties in handling. Conversely, if the rubber hardness exceeds 60° H, a high contact pressure, greater than necessary, is needed.
Holder 10 and conductive connecting part 20 may be integrally formed, instead of being formed separately. The other components are the same as the above embodiments, so description is omitted.
In the above configuration, holder 10 is applied with glue etc., or fixed by fitting, to electrode portion 2 of electroacoustic component 1, conductive connecting part 20 is positioned by and sandwiched between electroacoustic component 1 and circuit board 30, and circuit board 30 is pressed down toward electroacoustic component 1. Resultantly, first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A functioning as elastic supports, contract, so as to make reliable connection between the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1 and the electrodes of circuit board 30 via multiple conductive wires 27, establishing conduction.
Also in the embodiment, the same operational effect as that of the above embodiments can be expected. Further, since the hollowed portions, i.e., contact area reducing spaces 29, are formed above and below the first and second insulative elastomers 28 and 28A, it is possible to minimize the contact area of the contact face. Since the connecting pressure is relieved in the inclined direction of multiple conductive wires 27, the connecting pressure can be alleviated. As a result, it is possible to markedly reduce the connecting load with a simple configuration.
Since multiple conductive wires 27 are inclined, it is possible to prevent buckling of conductive wires 27 entailed with compression and hence markedly improve the repeated compression performance. Specifically, it was confirmed that stable conduction resistance was obtained after 100 times of repeated compression. Since it is possible to control the connecting load by changing the shapes and hardness of first and second elastomers 28 and 28A, a desired load value can be set without significant changes of the width and height of the product.
Although the above embodiment was described referring to a configuration where multiple fine metal wires 22 are arrayed in two rows and embedded in elastic resin piece 21, a single row of fine metal wires 22 may be embedded in elastic resin piece 21, or three or more rows may be arranged. In the fourth embodiment, though holder 10 is formed with a bend so that it has an approximate L-shaped cross-section, the present invention should not be limited thereto. For example, holder 10 may be formed so as to have an approximate plate-like cross section, approximate C-shaped cross section, approximate J-shaped cross section or other shapes. Further, the end portion of the second insinuative elastomer 28A may be bonded and joined to holder 10.
Next, Fig.17 shows the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a conductive connecting part 20 is constructed by a pair of conductive rubber pins 40 which are arranged a predetermined distance apart, put through and supported by holder 10, each conductive rubber pin 40 being formed of an elastic conductive elastomer 26. The exposed top and bottom ends of the paired conductive rubber pins 40 are adapted to be pressed against the electrodes of electroacoustic component 1 and those of circuit board 30.
Each conductive rubber pin 40 can be formed in a cylindrical form as shown in the figure, but should not be limited to this. For example, the pin may be formed in an elliptic cylindrical, prism shaped, triangular or polygonal cylindrical form. Other than the two pins configured as illustrated, it is also possible to provide multiple number, three, four, five, six, eight, so on, of pins. Other components are the same as the above embodiments, so the description is omitted.
Also in this embodiment, it is obvious that the same operational effect as that of the above embodiments can be expected. Further, since elastic resin piece 21 and insulative elastomer 25 can be omitted, reduction in the number of parts and simplification of the configuration can be highly expected.

Industrial Applicability

As has been described heretofore, the present invention provides the effect that the electroacoustic component can be used again even when repair is needed and can provide effectiveness to deal with development of cellular phones into compact and light-weight configurations. It is also possible to eliminate instability of connection resistance entailed with vibration of the electroacoustic component and fatigue and unstable connection of the connecting part, etc.

Claims

An electroacoustic component connector fitted to an electroacoustic component having electrodes, comprising:

an insulative holder attached to the electroacoustic component; and a conductive connecting part provided for the holder so as to be put in contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 1, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted to the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 1, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch on the surface of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 1, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder, the elastic resin piece being formed of insulative elastomers and conductive elastomers laminated alternately, so that the conductive elastomers of the elastic resin piece are put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 1, wherein the conductive connecting part is comprised of conductive wires to be put in inclined contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, an elastic, first insulative elastomer attached to part of one side of the conductive wires and an elastic, second insulative elastomer attached to part of the opposite side of the conductive wires, and the first and second elastomers are arranged approximately point-symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the length of the conductive wires while contact area reducing spaces are formed between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the first insulative elastomer and between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the second insulative elastomer, respectively, and either the first or second insulative elastomer is provided for the holder.
A connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector, characterized in that an electroacoustic component having electrodes at the peripheral portion thereof is electrically connected to the electrodes of an electrically joined object by an electroacoustic component connector comprising: an insulative holder attached to the electroacoustic component having electrodes; and a conductive connecting part provided for the holder so as to be put in contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 6, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted to the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch and embedded in the height direction of the elastic resin piece, to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 6, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an insulative elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder and a multiple number of fine conductive wires arranged with a predetermined pitch on the surface of the elastic resin piece, so as to be put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 6, wherein the holder is formed having an approximately U-shaped section or in an approximately rectangular prism shape, so as to be fitted covering or engaged with, the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, the holder is formed with a pocket hole, and the conductive connecting part is constructed of an elastic resin piece provided in the pocket hole of the holder, the elastic resin piece being formed of insulative elastomers and conductive elastomers laminated alternately, so that the conductive elastomers of the elastic resin piece are put into contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component.
The connecting structure for an electroacoustic component connector according to Claim 6, wherein the conductive connecting part is comprised of conductive wires to be put in inclined contact with the electrodes of the electroacoustic component, an elastic, first insulative elastomer attached to part of one side of the conductive wires and an elastic, second insulative elastomer attached to part of the opposite side of the conductive wires, and the first and second elastomers are arranged approximately point-symmetrically with respect to the approximate center of the length of the conductive wires while contact area reducing spaces are formed between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the first insulative elastomer and between the exposed face of the conductive wires and the second insulative elastomer, respectively, and either the first or second insulative elastomer is provided for the holder.