JP2009037777A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector having possibility of automatic assembling by an automatic mounter, having high accuracy of positioning contacts to a base board, and having a structure not easily affected by noise. <P>SOLUTION: Positioning holes 213a-213d for each connector member are formed in the base 21. A second connector member 23 has circular projections 233a and 233d to get engaged with the positioning holes 213a and 213d of the base board 21 respectively, and on the other hand, a first connector member 22 has circular projections 223b and 223c to get engaged with the positioning holes 213b and 213c of the base board 21 respectively. Each connector member has second projections, i.e, rod-shaped projections to get engaged with engagement holes formed in the circular projections in the other connector members when assembled. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for electrical signals, and more particularly to a connector for high-speed transmission.

  As a connector system for backplane and other communication, it has a male connector and a female connector each having a plurality of contacts or differential pairs arranged in the width direction. A so-called right-angle type is known in which a contact is slid to make a conductive connection. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which signal contacts and ground contacts are alternately arranged to achieve miniaturization (high density) and high speed transmission. In this connector, a resin sheet is incorporated between the signal contact and the ground contact to prevent a short circuit between the contacts.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a high-speed transmission connector in which a plurality of contact rows are arranged stepwise in the thickness direction to improve density and high-frequency characteristics. Further, in this connector, it is said that a plurality of step-like contact rows are arranged symmetrically in the thickness direction, so that the connector can be assembled without solder.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses a daughter board connector in which a signal contact and a ground contact are electrically connected to a signal pad and a conductor on each surface of the daughter board.

JP-A-8-315916 JP 2000-12171 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-19678

  In recent years, with the miniaturization of connectors, connector contacts or differential pairs are arranged at a very short pitch in the arrangement direction. Therefore, a high positioning accuracy of the connector with respect to the board is required for reliable connection between each of the differential pairs and the corresponding electrode printed on the board. Furthermore, the alignment between the contact of the male connector attached to the board and the contact of the female connector fitted thereto needs to be performed with high accuracy. Therefore, when fixing a member with contacts to both sides of the board with screws etc., the positioning accuracy causes a shift between the upper and lower contacts, and the contact of one connector is not connected to the circuit pattern printed on the board There is also a risk of causing an erroneous connection with an adjacent circuit pattern. In addition, when the male connector is connected to the female connector with a gap between the upper and lower contacts of the male connector, electrical connection is not achieved between the male connector contact and the female connector contact, There is also a risk of connection between wrong contacts. However, on the other hand, in order to improve the productivity of the connector, a connector having a configuration corresponding to an automatic facility such as an automounter is desired.

  Further, when the wiring length of each contact is not uniform, it is necessary to make the entire wiring length including the board and the connector equal, and thus the wiring pattern on the board is restricted. In addition, a connector of a type that forms a through hole in a substrate has a problem that it is not suitable for high-speed transmission because a stub is formed.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be automatically assembled by an automounter or the like and that has high contact positioning accuracy with respect to a substrate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector having a structure that is hardly affected by noise.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a connector having first and second connector members each mounted on both sides of a substrate and each having a plurality of contacts, the first connector member Has a first protrusion having an outer surface that engages with a positioning hole formed in the substrate at the time of mounting, and one of the first and second connector members is formed on the other connector member at the time of mounting. A connector is provided, characterized in that it has a second protrusion with an outer surface engaging the mating hole.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector having a board and first and second connector members mounted on both sides of the board, each having a plurality of contacts. The contact between the contact of one connector member and the contact of the second connector member extends, and each of the plurality of contacts of the first and second connectors is connected to the other when the connector is fitted to another connector. A connector is provided that extends to the other connector side from the position of the contact point that contacts each of the contacts of the connector.

  According to one aspect of the connector according to the present invention, not only the first and second connector members are positioned with respect to the board, but also the two connector members engage with each other, so that high positioning between the upper and lower contacts is achieved. Accuracy is obtained. In addition, since the contacts are mounted on both sides of the substrate, the traces of the substrate can be arranged with the arrangement of the contacts as it is, and the trace design of the substrate becomes easy.

  According to another aspect of the connector of the present invention, since the board extends beyond the contact of each contact of the connector, a ground member generally inserted in the board is interposed between the contacts of each contact. Since it can be arranged, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of noise or the like between contacts that sandwich the substrate, and stable high-speed transmission can be performed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a high-speed transmission connector system 1 according to the present invention. The connector system 1 includes a male connector (plug) 2 and a female connector (socket) 3 into which the male connector 2 is fitted. The male connector 2 includes a substrate 21 and first and second connector members 22 and 23 arranged to face each other with the substrate 21 interposed therebetween, and the first and second connector members are arranged at a predetermined interval. And a plurality of contacts 221 and 231 (see FIG. 4). The plurality of contacts 221 of the first connector member 22 are electrically connected to the electrodes 211a (see FIG. 4) formed on the substrate 21 when assembled, and the plurality of contacts 231 of the second connector member 23 are similarly connected. When assembled, it is electrically connected to the electrode 211b (see FIG. 4) formed on the substrate 21. On the other hand, the female connector 3 has a plurality of contacts 31 and 32 (see FIG. 3) that contact the contacts 221 and 231 of the male connector 2 when connected to the male connector 2, respectively.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the male connector 2 viewed from a direction different from that in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the center in the connector width direction (contact arrangement direction) in a state where the male connector 2 and the female connector 3 are connected. The male connector 2 has a fitting portion 24 that fits into the connection hole 33 (FIG. 1) of the female connector 3. In the fitting part 24, a plurality of contacts 221 and 231 are exposed on the surface of the fitting part 24 and arranged on opposite sides of the substrate 21, and the fitting part 24 is inserted into the connection hole 33. The conductive connection with the plurality of contacts 31 and 32 of the female connector 3 is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the end surface 214 of the substrate 21 is exposed at the tip of the fitting portion 24, and thus the end surface 214 of the substrate 21 can be extended to the tip of the fitting portion 24. . In general, a ground member (GND) such as a metal is inserted or formed in layers on the substrate in order to suppress noise between contacts on both sides of the substrate. The distance between the contacts 221 and 231 of the male connector 2 located on opposite sides of the board is narrower than the distance between the opposing contacts 31 and 32 of the female connector 3, so that the male connector If the substrate is arranged so as to extend to the female connector side beyond the position where the second contact and the contact of the female connector 3 contact, that is, the contacts 312 and 322, the noise suppressing effect can be enhanced. Moreover, GND can also be extended to the front-end | tip of the fitting part 24 of the male connector 2 like this embodiment. In the present invention, although details will be described later, both the connector members move in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and are mounted on the substrate, so that the substrate end surface 214 as shown in FIG. 2 is exposed on the front surface of the fitting portion. The configuration can be easily realized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the end portions 311 and 321 of the contacts 31 and 32 of the female connector 3 are somewhat separated from the fitting portion 24 of the male connector 2, that is, have a warped shape. This is for facilitating insertion / extraction of the fitting portion 24 of the male connector 2, but is not preferable from the viewpoint of generation of noise during data transmission. On the other hand, the end portions 2211 and 2311 of the contacts 221 and 231 of the male connector 2 do not need to be separated from the substrate 21. This is because each connector member is mounted in a direction perpendicular to the substrate (vertical direction in FIG. 3) with respect to the substrate as described above, and the connector member is mounted by moving in the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate. This is advantageous as compared with the configuration of this kind.

  The present invention is mainly characterized by the structure of the male connector 2. Therefore, the following description will be focused on the male connector 2, and the male connector will be simply referred to as a connector unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the connector 2. Each of the first and second connector members 22 and 23 has solder tabs 222a, 222b and 232a, 232b at both ends in the width direction. On the other hand, the substrate 21 has solder surfaces, that is, solder layers 212a to 212d (only 212a and 212c on the upper surface of the substrate are shown) formed on a solder tab pattern formed on the substrate 21 by screen printing or the like. It is fixed to any one of the solder layers 212a to 212d. The substrate contact surfaces 224 and 234 mean surfaces that face the respective surfaces of the substrate 21, and do not necessarily need to be in contact with the respective surfaces of the substrate 21. Further, the entire board contact surfaces 224 and 234 may not face each surface of the board 21, and a part (for example, a part where a second protrusion to be described later is formed) is partly connected to the board contact surface of the other connector member. It may be configured to face each other (that is, the substrate 21 is not interposed between both substrate contact surfaces).

  The board 21 is formed with positioning holes 213a to 213d for the respective connector members. On the other hand, each connector member has a first protrusion, that is, an annular protrusion, which engages with the positioning hole of the substrate 21. Specifically, the second connector member 23 has annular projections 233a and 233d on the substrate contact surface 234 having outer surfaces 2331a and 2331d engaged with the positioning holes 213a and 213d of the substrate 21, respectively, while the first connector member 22 has first protrusions, ie, annular protrusions 223b and 223c (not visible in FIG. 2) having outer surfaces that engage the positioning holes 213b and 213c of the substrate 21, respectively, on the substrate contact surface 224. In FIG. 2, the lower surface of the first connector member 22 is not visible, but the annular protrusions 223b and 223c of the first connector member 22 can have the same shape as the annular protrusions 233a and 233d of the second connector member 23, respectively.

  Further, the first connector member 22 is a second protrusion that engages with the engagement holes 2333a and 2333d respectively formed in the upper end surfaces 2332a and 2332d of the annular protrusions 233a and 233d of the second connector member 23 when assembled. Rod-like protrusions 223a and 223d (not visible in FIG. 2) are provided on the substrate contact surface 224, while the second connector member 23 is similarly formed on the annular protrusions 223b and 223c of the first connector member 22 when assembled. The substrate contact surface 234 has second protrusions, that is, rod-shaped protrusions 233b and 233c, which are respectively engaged with the engagement holes. In FIG. 2, the lower surface of the first connector member 22 is not visible, but the rod-like protrusions 223 a and 223 d of the first connector member 22 can have the same shape as the rod-like protrusions 233 b and 233 c of the second connector member 23, respectively.

  Thus, in this embodiment, in each connector member, the annular protrusion and the rod-shaped protrusion are each arranged on a square diagonal line. Accordingly, when the first connector member 22 is positioned at two positions with respect to the substrate 21, the first connector member 22 and the second connector member 23 can be manufactured in the same shape as a whole. This is advantageous in terms of reducing the number and improving management efficiency. When the first connector member 22 and the substrate 21 are positioned at one place (for example, when positioned with a prismatic protrusion), the second protrusion is engaged with the second protrusion at a position symmetrical to the connector insertion direction. What is necessary is just to arrange | position with the hole.

  The engagement (fitting) between the annular member of one connector member and the rod-shaped protrusion of the other connector member is well shown in the side sectional view 5. While the outer surface of the annular protrusion of each connector member (in the illustrated example, the outer surface 2331a of the annular protrusion 233a and the outer surface 2231b of the annular protrusion 223b) are respectively engaged and positioned in the positioning holes 213a and 213b of the substrate 21, the first connector At the same time that the rod-shaped protrusion 223a of the member 22 is fitted into the engagement hole, that is, the inner surface 2333a of the corresponding annular protrusion 233a of the second connector member 23, the rod-shaped protrusion 233b of the second connector member 23 corresponds to the corresponding annular shape of the first connector member 22. The protrusion 223b is fitted into the engagement hole, that is, the inner surface 2233b. If each connector member is merely positioned on the board individually, positioning errors between the connector members and the board may be superimposed, resulting in a large positioning error between the two connector members. In the case of the present invention, since both the connector members are directly positioned without interposing the substrate, both the connector members can be assembled with high positioning accuracy regardless of the positioning accuracy between each connector member and the substrate. In general, since the accuracy of drilling a board is lower than the manufacturing accuracy of the connector member, it is very advantageous in terms of connector design that the positioning accuracy of both connector members is not affected by the board processing accuracy.

  In the illustrated example, the first and second protrusions are respectively an annular protrusion and a rod-like protrusion, but some other suitable shapes are conceivable. For example, the second protrusion may be a cone, a truncated cone, a prism, or a truncated pyramid, and the first protrusion may be a truncated cone, a prism, or a truncated pyramid having an inner surface that can be engaged with the second protrusion. In the illustrated example, two (four in total) positioning holes are provided for each connector member. However, when the outer surface of the first protrusion is cylindrical or conical, at least two of the prisms or truncated pyramids are provided. In some cases, if there is at least one positioning hole, a certain positioning effect is achieved.

  Further, in the illustrated example, one annular protrusion has both the functions of aligning the connector and the board and aligning the connectors, but the engagement hole that can receive the second protrusion is not the first protrusion but the other. It is also possible to provide in the part. Further, the second protrusion and the engagement hole therefor may be provided in a portion of the connector member where no board is interposed.

  The connector 2 is usually manufactured by the following procedure. First, solder layers 212a and 212c are formed by printing solder paste or cream solder on one surface of the substrate 21 on which the electrodes 211a are previously formed by screen printing or the like. Next, the first connector member 22 is automatically mounted on the side of the substrate 21 on which the electrodes 211a and the solder layers 212a and 212c are formed by an automounter or the like. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular protrusion of the first connector member 22 is engaged with the positioning hole of the substrate 21, and the positioning of the first connector member 22 with respect to the substrate 21 is performed with a desired accuracy. Here, it can position positively with an annular protrusion and a positioning hole. Alternatively, both members can be positioned depending on the accuracy of the automounter, and the annular protrusion and the positioning hole can be used for the purpose of preventing the displacement of both members beyond the allowable range. Accordingly, the annular protrusion and the positioning hole may be in a so-called press-fit relationship, or a relationship in which a gap is generated between the annular protrusion and the positioning hole. Next, by applying heat to the solder layers 212a and 212c and melting them, the solder tabs and the respective contacts of the first connector member are fixed to the substrate.

  Next, the substrate 21 is inverted, and solder paste or cream solder is printed on the other surface of the substrate 21 on which the electrode 211b is previously formed by screen printing or the like, and the same electrodes and solder layers as the solder layers 212a and 212c. 212b and 212d are formed. Similarly, the second connector member 23 is automatically mounted on the side on which the electrode 211b and the solder layers 212b and 212d are formed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular protrusion of the second connector member 23 is engaged with the positioning hole of the substrate 21, and the rod-shaped protrusion of one connector member is fitted into the annular protrusion of the other connector member. . The second connector member 23 is positioned with respect to the first connector member 22 with an accuracy required for fitting the male connector 2 and the female connector 3. Positioning of the second connector member 23 and the substrate 21 is performed indirectly via the first connector member 22. Since both the connector members are accurately positioned, the second connector member 23 is positioned with respect to the board 21 with the same accuracy as the first connector member 22. Accordingly, the second connector member 23 is accurately positioned not only with respect to the substrate 21 but also with respect to the first connector member 22. At this time, normally, the annular projection of the second connector member 12 and the positioning hole of the substrate 21 interfere with each other so that the positioning accuracy between the two connector members does not deteriorate. For example, this can be achieved by setting the diameter of the positioning hole of the substrate 21 that engages with the outer surface of the annular protrusion of the second connector member 23 to a sufficiently larger dimension than the outer diameter of the annular protrusion. Finally, the solder tab of the second connector member is fixed by dissolving the solder layer (not shown) by applying heat.

  As described above, usually, after the first connector member 22 is mounted on one surface of the substrate 21, electrodes and the like are screen-printed on the other surface of the substrate 21. Therefore, in order not to obstruct screen printing, the annular protrusion and the rod-shaped protrusion of the connector member are configured not to protrude from the board when fitted in the positioning hole of the board 21 as shown in FIG. For example, the height of the annular protrusion and the rod-shaped protrusion is preferably smaller than the thickness of the substrate. In order to achieve this with the configuration in which the second protrusion is disposed on the substrate contact surface, the engagement hole needs to be disposed on the upper end surface of the protrusion protruding from the substrate contact surface (annular protrusion in this embodiment). That is, it is necessary to set so that the upper end surface of the protrusion provided with the engagement hole is located between the front surface and the back surface of the substrate. Otherwise, in order for the second protrusion of one connector member to fit into the engagement hole of the other connector member, the protrusion having the second protrusion or the engagement hole must not protrude from the substrate surface. This is because it becomes an obstacle to screen printing.

  In the present invention, since each connector member is accurately positioned with respect to the board and the other connector member, a plurality of contacts of each connector member can be arranged quite densely, and as a result, the connector can be formed compactly. The arrangement of the plurality of contacts is basically arbitrary, but it is preferable that they are mounted in a line with respect to the substrate. By arranging a plurality of contacts in a line, reworkability in the case where a part of the soldered portion of the contacts is broken or disconnected is improved. In addition, it is advantageous for differential high-speed transmission by making all the contacts have the same length as in the illustrated example.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the male side connector and female side connector which concern on this invention. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the male connector of FIG. 1 from another direction. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the male connector and female connector of FIG. 1 were connected. It is a disassembled perspective view of the male connector of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the male side connector of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector system 2 Male connector 3 Female connector 21 Board | substrate 211a, 211b Electrode 213a-213d Positioning hole 214 Board | substrate end surface 22 1st connector member 221 Contact 223b, 223c Annular projection 223a, 223d Rod-like projection 224 Board contact surface 23 2nd connector member 231 Contacts 233a, 233d Annular protrusions 233b, 233c Bar-shaped protrusions 234 Board contact surface 24 Fitting portion

Claims (10)

In the connector having the first and second connector members each mounted on both sides of the substrate and each having a plurality of contacts,
The first connector member has a first protrusion having an outer surface that engages with a positioning hole formed in the substrate at the time of mounting;
At least one of the first and second connector members has a second protrusion that engages with an engagement hole formed in the other connector member during mounting.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the second protrusion is formed to protrude from a board contact surface of the first or second connector member.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the engagement hole is provided on an upper end surface of a protrusion formed to protrude from a board contact surface of the first or second connector member.   The connector according to claim 2, wherein the engagement hole is provided on an upper end surface of the first protrusion.   The connector according to claim 4, wherein the first protrusion has an annular shape, and the second protrusion has a rod-like shape that engages with the engagement hole provided in the first protrusion.   2. The first and second connector members both have the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the engagement hole, respectively, and the first and second connector members have the same shape. The connector of any one of -5.   The connector according to claim 2, wherein heights of the first protrusion and the second protrusion are both smaller than a thickness of the substrate.   The connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of contacts are arranged in a row in each of the first and second connector members. In a connector having a substrate and first and second connector members mounted on both sides of the substrate, each having a plurality of contacts,
The board extends between the contact of the first connector member and the contact of the second connector member, and a plurality of the first and second connectors when the connector is fitted to another connector. The connector is characterized in that each of the contacts extends to the other connector side than a position of a contact point that contacts each of the contacts of the other connector.   The connector according to claim 9, wherein the board extends to a distal end of a connector fitting portion formed by cooperation of the board and a plurality of contacts of the first and second connector members.

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