JP2015153739A - Method for connecting differential signal transmission cable to substrate, and cable connecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for connecting a differential signal transmission cable to a substrate and a cable connecting device, capable of improving electrical characteristics of a differential signal transmission cable and a substrate while facilitating a connecting process therebetween, thereby easily being applied to devices that can handle a large number of high-speed digital signals.SOLUTION: A cable connecting device 50 including an L-shaped member 51 and a rectangular columnar member 52 which can be freely attached/detached from each other, is used when connecting signal line conductors 41 of a front cable group 40A and a rear cable group 40B to signal line contacts of a substrate. By this configuration, a connecting process of differential signal transmission cables 40 and the substrate can be easily performed. After the connecting process, the cable connecting device 50 is removed from a cable body 20, thereby a terminal of the cable body 20 is downsized and the configuration becomes easily applicable to devices that can handle a large number of high-speed digital signals. Because the cable connecting device 50 is removed, a region of the signal line conductors 41 not covered by insulators can be made small, thereby impedance is suppressed from being disturbed and electrical characteristics can be stabilized.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique used when a plurality of differential signal transmission cables that transmit differential signals whose phases are inverted by 180 degrees are connected to the front side and the back side of a substrate.

  Conventionally, in devices such as servers, routers, and storage products that handle high-speed digital signals of several Gbit / s or more, differential interface standards such as LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) have been adopted. Differential signals are transmitted between the circuit boards using a differential signal transmission cable. The differential signal has a feature of high resistance to external noise while realizing a low system power supply voltage.

  The differential signal transmission cable includes a pair of signal line conductors, and a positive signal and a negative signal whose phases are inverted by 180 degrees are transmitted to the signal line conductors. The potential difference between these two signals becomes the signal level. For example, if the potential difference is positive, the signal level is recognized as “High”, and if it is negative, the signal level is recognized as “Low”. .

  A differential signal transmission cable for transmitting such a differential signal is described in Patent Document 1, for example. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, four of eight single cables are soldered to a signal line mounting portion on the front side of a substrate, and the other four The single cable of this is soldered to the signal line attachment part on the back side of the board. Then, while aligning the terminals of the eight single cables, an aligning plate (aligning plate) is used to make these terminals face the signal line mounting portions on the front side and the back side of the board, respectively.

US Pat. No. 7,857,657

  By the way, in recent years, development of devices capable of simultaneously handling a large number of high-speed digital signals has progressed, and accordingly, miniaturization of the terminal of a cable body formed by bundling a large number of differential signal transmission cables has become an essential condition. ing. Specifically, by reducing the size of the terminal of the cable body, the number of differential signal transmission cables connected per unit area can be increased in the cable connection portion of the device. As a result, it is possible to easily cope with a device that can simultaneously handle a large number of high-speed digital signals.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, a plurality of differential signal transmission cables are soldered to the front side and the back side of the board using alignment plates, respectively, and then the differential signal transmission cable and the board are used. The alignment plate remains between the two. Therefore, since there is an alignment plate at the end of the cable body, there is a limit to downsizing the end of the cable body, and thus there is a problem that it becomes difficult to cope with a device that can simultaneously handle a large number of high-speed digital signals. . Therefore, it is conceivable to simply reduce the size of the alignment plate. In this case, however, connection processing between the differential signal transmission cable and the substrate, that is, terminal processing by soldering becomes difficult.

  The pair of signal line conductors of the differential signal transmission cable is usually covered with an insulator, but the region not covered with the insulator, that is, the region having a length corresponding to the thickness of the alignment plate is: It has been found to adversely affect the disturbance of impedance (electrical characteristics). Therefore, from the viewpoint of such impedance, it is desirable to remove the alignment plate after the connection processing between the differential signal transmission cable and the substrate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a differential signal transmission that facilitates connection processing between a cable for differential signal transmission and a board while facilitating electrical characteristics and easily adapting to a device that can simultaneously handle a large number of high-speed digital signals. It is to provide a method for connecting a cable to a substrate and a cable connecting apparatus.

  In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for connecting a differential signal transmission cable to a substrate, wherein a plurality of differential signal transmission cables are respectively connected to both sides of the substrate, the front cable being connected to the front side of the substrate A cable body preparation step of preparing a cable body formed by bundling a group and a back side cable group connected to the back side of the substrate, a first member inserted and removed between the front side cable group and the back side cable group, A cable connection device preparation step for preparing a cable connection device having a holding groove for holding the differential signal transmission cable and detachably attached to the first member; and the differential signal transmission. Cable holding step of holding the cable for holding in the holding groove, inserting the first member between the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group, and attaching the second member to the first member A connection step of connecting signal line conductors of the differential signal transmission cable to a front side connection portion and a back side connection portion of the substrate, respectively, removing the second member from the first member, and the front side cable group and the A cable connecting device removing step of extracting the first member from between the backside cable group.

  In another aspect of the present invention, between the cable holding step and the connecting step, a cable end processing step of processing the end of the front side cable group and the back side cable group to expose the signal line conductor to the outside. Is provided.

  In another aspect of the present invention, in the cable terminal processing step, a pair of the cable connection devices corresponding to the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group are used in an overlapping manner, and the pair of cable connection devices are slid to each other. The differential signal transmission cables forming the front cable group and the back cable group are arranged in a horizontal row, and the terminal is processed under the state.

  In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cable connection device used to connect a plurality of differential signal transmission cables to both sides of a board, the front side cable group connected to the front side of the board, and the board A first member that is inserted into and removed from a back side cable group connected to the back side, a holding member that holds the differential signal transmission cable, and a second member that is detachable from the first member, Is provided.

  In another aspect of the invention, the second member is provided with a magnet that attracts another cable connection device.

  In another aspect of the present invention, an attachment state holding mechanism for holding the attachment state of the second member with respect to the first member is provided between the first member and the second member.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the first member extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the plate-like portion, the plate-like portion inserted and removed between the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group, A wall portion facing the extending direction end portion of the second member, and the attachment state holding mechanism is a male screw provided so as to be rotatable and non-advanceable with respect to the wall portion; and the second member And an internal thread provided at the end in the extending direction.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the attachment state holding mechanism includes a spring member having one end fixed to the first member and the other end fixed to the second member, and the elastic force of the spring member is The second member acts in a direction to attach the second member to the first member.

  According to the present invention, when connecting the signal line conductors of the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group to the front-side connection portion and the back-side connection portion of the board, respectively, the cable connection including the first member and the second member that are detachable from each other Since the apparatus is used, the connection processing between the differential signal transmission cable and the substrate can be easily performed.

  After connecting the differential signal transmission cable and the board, the cable connection device is removed from the cable body, so the end of the cable body can be reduced in size, making it easy for devices that can handle many high-speed digital signals simultaneously. It becomes possible to respond.

  In addition, since the cable connection device is removed, the area of the signal line conductor that is not covered with the insulator can be reduced, and the electrical characteristics can be stabilized by suppressing the disturbance of the impedance.

(A) is the perspective view which looked at the cable assembly from the front side, (b) is the top view which looked at the cable assembly from the side. (A) is a perspective view which shows the terminal of a cable body, (b) is a perspective view which shows the cable for differential signal transmission (after terminal processing). 1 is a perspective view showing a cable connection device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of the cable connection apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the procedure (cable holding process) which makes a cable connection apparatus hold | maintain a front side cable group. It is explanatory drawing explaining the procedure (cable holding process) which makes a cable connection apparatus hold | maintain a back side cable group. It is explanatory drawing explaining the terminal process (cable terminal process process) of a front side cable group and a back side cable group. It is explanatory drawing explaining the procedure (connection process) which connects the cable for differential signal transmission, and a board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing explaining the procedure (cable connection apparatus removal process) which removes a cable connection apparatus after connecting the cable for differential signal transmission, and a board | substrate. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a cable terminal processing step according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a cable connection device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cable connection device according to a fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1A is a perspective view of the cable assembly as viewed from the front side, FIG. 1B is a plan view of the cable assembly as viewed from the side, FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the terminal of the cable body, and FIG. Is a perspective view showing a cable for differential signal transmission (after terminal processing), FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cable connecting device according to the first embodiment, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are cables of FIG. Sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of a connection apparatus is shown, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cable assembly 10 includes a cable body 20 and a substrate 30 connected to a terminal of the cable body 20. The cable body 20 is formed by bundling a plurality (total 8) of differential signal transmission cables 40, and an outer conductor 21 and a protective coating 22 are provided around the differential signal transmission cables 40. The outer conductor 21 suppresses the transmission of external noise to the differential signal transmission cable 40. The protective coating 22 is formed of flexible polyvinyl chloride or the like, and protects the external conductor 21 and the differential signal transmission cable 40 inside.

  Here, between the protective coating 22 and the substrate 30 along the longitudinal direction of the cable body 20, a mold resin portion 23 hardened by a thermosetting epoxy resin is provided, and the mold resin portion Reference numeral 23 denotes a differential signal transmission cable 40 between the protective coating 22 and the substrate 30. However, the mold resin portion 23 may be omitted depending on the specifications of the cable assembly 10.

  The mold resin portion 23 is formed after the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 are connected. Specifically, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2A, four of the total eight differential signal transmission cables 40 are connected to the surface 31 of the substrate 30 using the cable connecting device 50. Then, the other four are formed after being connected to the back surface 32 of the substrate 30. The detailed structure and usage method of the cable connection device 50 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the differential signal transmission cable 40 includes a pair of signal line conductors 41. A positive signal (positive signal) as a differential signal is transmitted to one of the signal line conductors 41, and a negative signal as a differential signal is transmitted to the other of the signal line conductors 41. (Negative signal) is transmitted. Each signal line conductor 41 is formed by, for example, an annealed copper wire (Tinned Annealed Copper Wire) whose surface is tin-plated, and each signal line conductor 41 is covered with an insulator 42.

  The insulator 42 is formed of, for example, foamed polyethylene (Foamed Poly-Ethylene) in order to give the differential signal transmission cable 40 flexibility, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is formed in a substantially elliptical shape. The insulator 42 holds the signal line conductors 41 so as to be aligned at a predetermined interval, and is arranged around the signal line conductors 41 so as to have substantially the same thickness.

  However, the cross-sectional shape of the insulator 42 is not limited to a substantially elliptical shape as illustrated, and may be a substantially circular shape in which each signal line conductor 41 is individually covered, for example. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the insulator 42 may be formed of a pair of parallel lines having equal lengths and a pair of semicircular arcs, for example, substantially the same as a track in a track and field stadium.

  An outer conductor 43 for suppressing the influence of external noise is provided around the insulator 42. The outer conductor 43 is formed of, for example, a sheet-like copper foil, and covers most of the insulator 42 except for an end portion along the longitudinal direction. However, the external conductor 43 is not limited to a copper foil, and may be another metal foil, or may be a braided sheet in which a thin metal wire such as an annealed copper wire is knitted.

  Around the outer conductor 43, a sheath 44 is provided as a protective sheath for protecting the differential signal transmission cable 40, and the sheath 44 covers most of the outer conductor 43 except for an end portion along the longitudinal direction. ing. The sheath 44 is formed of, for example, heat resistant PVC (Heat Resistant Polyvinyl Chloride). Further, the differential signal transmission cable 40 does not include a drain line.

  The end portion of the differential signal transmission cable 40 is subjected to terminal processing as shown in FIG. Specifically, the differential signal transmission cable 40 is sequentially stripped along the longitudinal direction, thereby exposing the ends of the signal line conductors 41 and the external conductors 43 to the outside. Such terminal processing is performed on all of the eight differential signal transmission cables 40 in total, so that the electrical connection between the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 can be easily performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the board 30 connected to the cable body 20 is a component that functions as a cable connector (connector member), and one end side (right side in the figure) of the board 30 is, for example, a backplane. It is inserted into a slot (not shown) provided in the product.

  A plurality of signal line contacts 31a and 32a are provided on both surfaces of the substrate 30, that is, the front surface 31 and the back surface 32, respectively, and a plurality of ground contacts 31b and 32b are further provided. Here, each signal line contact 31a on the front surface 31 constitutes a front side connection portion in the present invention, and each signal line contact 32a on the back surface 32 constitutes a back side connection portion in the present invention.

  The substrate 30 is formed in a plate shape by an insulating material such as an epoxy resin, and a pair of taper portions 33 and 34 are provided at a front end portion (right side in the drawing) of the substrate 30 in the insertion direction. Yes. These taper portions 33 and 34 are configured such that the tip end portion in the insertion direction of the substrate 30 is tapered to guide insertion into the slot.

  Each of the signal line contacts 31a and 32a and each of the ground contacts 31b and 32b is made of brass having excellent conductivity and is formed on the front surface 31 and the back surface 32 of the substrate 30 with a predetermined gap therebetween. Thereby, the signal line contacts 31a and 32a and the ground contacts 31b and 32b are not short-circuited to each other.

  Each signal line contact 31a, 32a is provided corresponding to the signal line conductor 41 (see FIG. 2B), and each ground contact 31b, 32b is connected to the external conductor 43 (see FIG. 2B). Correspondingly provided. The signal line conductor 41 is directly connected to the signal line contacts 31a and 32a by soldering. On the other hand, the external conductor 43 is connected to the ground contacts 31b and 32b by soldering via the ground conductor 35 separate from the cable body 20 and the substrate 30.

  Here, the ground conductor 35 is formed into a shape as shown in FIG. 8 by pressing a steel plate made of brass or the like having excellent conductivity. The ground conductor 35 is protruded in the longitudinal direction of the differential signal transmission cable 40 from the main body 35a connected to the external conductor 43 of the pair of adjacent differential signal transmission cables 40, And three arm portions 35b connected to the ground contacts 31b and 32b. That is, when the cable body 20 having a total of eight differential signal transmission cables 40 is connected to the substrate 30 as in the present embodiment, 2 on the front surface 31 side and the back surface 32 side of the substrate 30 respectively. One ground conductor 35 (four in total) is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a resin case 36 (not shown in detail) formed in a substantially box shape is provided around the substrate 30. Thus, the operator can securely insert the substrate 30 into the slot by holding the resin case 36 or the like. At that time, since a large load is not applied to the soldered portion between the cable body 20 and the substrate 30, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of problems such as disconnection.

  Next, the detailed structure of the cable connection device 50 used when connecting the cable body 20 and the board | substrate 30 is demonstrated using drawing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cable connecting device 50 includes an L-shaped member 51 as a first member and a prismatic member 52 as a second member. The columnar members 52 are detachable from each other. The L-shaped member 51 and the prismatic member 52 are both made of a steel material such as stainless steel, thereby making the cable connection device 50 highly rigid and improving the reusability of the cable connection device 50. .

  The L-shaped member 51 includes a plate-like portion 51a and a wall portion 51b extending in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the plate-like portion 51a. The wall portion 51b is provided at the longitudinal end of the plate-like portion 51a. It is provided integrally. The thickness dimension of the plate-like part 51a is set thinner than the thickness dimension of the wall part 51b. By setting the plate-like portion 51a to be thin as described above, the plate-like portion 51a is formed between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B (see FIG. 8) from the direction intersecting with the cable groups 40A and 40B. Can be easily inserted and removed. On the other hand, the wall portion 51b needs a certain degree of rigidity to support the male screw 51f, and is set to be thicker than the plate-like portion 51a.

  Here, the front-side cable group 40A is connected to the front-side surface 31 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate 30, and is configured by any four of the total of eight differential signal transmission cables 40. . On the other hand, the back side cable group 40B is connected to the back side 32 (see FIG. 1) on the back side of the substrate 30, and is composed of any other four of the differential signal transmission cables 40 out of a total of eight. Yes.

  On both sides along the longitudinal direction of the plate-like portion 51a, through holes 51c penetrating in the plate thickness direction of the plate-like portion 51a are respectively provided. The diameter of each of the pair of through holes 51c is set to D1. Then, the front end side (lower side in the figure) of the columnar magnet 52a provided in the prismatic member 52 enters the inside of each through hole 51c, and can move inside each through hole 51c. .

  A first taper portion 51d is formed on the opposite side of the plate portion 51a from the wall portion 51b side along the longitudinal direction, and the inclination angle of the first taper portion 51d is set to α ° (for example, 70 °). Has been. As shown in FIG. 4B, the second tapered portion 52d of the prismatic member 52 is engaged with the first tapered portion 51d. And when the 1st taper part 51d and the 2nd taper part 52d are engaged, it will be in the state in which the prismatic member 52 was attached to the L-shaped member 51, and in the part with each taper part 51d and 52d In this figure, they cannot be separated from each other in the vertical direction.

  Here, the 1st taper part 51d and the 2nd taper part 52d hold | maintain the attachment state of the prismatic member 52 with respect to the L-shaped member 51, and comprise the attachment state holding mechanism in this invention.

  The wall 51b is provided with a mounting hole 51e penetrating in the thickness direction of the wall 51b. The mounting hole 51e is provided with a male screw 51f that is rotatable and cannot be moved back and forth. And the prismatic member 52 side (right side in the figure) of the wall 51b is opposed to the extending direction end of the prismatic member 52.

  The male screw 51f includes a screw main body 51g provided rotatably in the mounting hole 51e, a screw portion 51h provided on the prismatic member 52 side of the screw main body 51g, and a side opposite to the prismatic member 52 side of the screw main body 51g. And a knob 51i provided on the head. A retaining ring R is fixed to each of the screw part 51h side and the knob part 51i side of the screw main body 51g, so that the male screw 51f is rotatable with respect to the mounting hole 51e and cannot advance or retreat. .

  Then, by operating the knob portion 51i by the operator, the screw portion 51h can be screwed into the female screw 52c of the prismatic member 52, and thereby the prismatic member 52 is attracted to the wall portion 51b. Then, the prismatic member 52 is attached to the L-shaped member 51, and in a portion where the male screw 51f and the female screw 52c are present, they cannot be separated from each other in the vertical direction in the figure.

  Here, the male screw 51f and the female screw 52c also hold the mounting state of the prismatic member 52 with respect to the L-shaped member 51, and constitute the mounting state holding mechanism in the present invention.

  The prismatic member 52 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and columnar magnets (magnets) 52 a are provided on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the prismatic member 52. The front end side of each columnar magnet 52a enters the inside of each through hole 51c. Here, the interval (pitch) between the columnar magnets 52a is the same as the interval between the through holes 51c, and the diameter dimension D2 of each columnar magnet 52a is the diameter dimension D1 of each through hole 51c. The diameter is smaller than that (D2 <D1).

  Between the columnar magnets 52a along the longitudinal direction of the prismatic member 52, four holding grooves 52b are provided at predetermined intervals. Specifically, each holding groove 52 b is provided at the same interval as the interval between each pair of signal line contacts 31 a and 32 a provided on the substrate 30. Here, “a set of signal line contacts 31 a and 32 a” means two sets of signal line contacts 41 to which two signal line conductors 41 of one differential signal transmission cable 40 are connected. 31a and 32a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, four sets of signal line contacts 31 a and 32 a are provided on the front surface 31 and the back surface 32 of the substrate 30 corresponding to the four differential signal transmission cables 40. .

  The cross-sectional shape of each holding groove 52 b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and each holding groove 52 b extends along the short direction of the prismatic member 52. A differential signal transmission cable 40 is mounted in each holding groove 52b. Here, the width dimension of the holding groove 52b is set slightly smaller than the width dimension of the differential signal transmission cable 40, so that the differential signal transmission cable 40 can be held only by the holding groove 52b.

  A female screw 52c is provided at the wall 51b side (left side in the drawing) along the longitudinal direction of the prismatic member 52, that is, at the end in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 facing the wall 51b. A screw portion 51h of a male screw 51f is screwed to the female screw 52c.

  A second taper portion 52d is formed on the first taper portion 51d side (right side in the drawing) along the longitudinal direction of the prismatic member 52. The inclination angle of the second taper part 52d is set to the same α ° as the inclination angle of the first taper part 51d. That is, the second tapered portion 52d and the first tapered portion 51d are engaged with each other over the entire surface.

  Here, the state shown in FIG. 4A is a state in which the prismatic member 52 is placed on the plate-like portion 51a of the L-shaped member 51 and the male screw 51f and the female screw 52c are not screw-coupled. Show. In this state, the gap dimension T1 between the wall 51b and the prismatic member 52 is larger than the gap dimension T2 between the first taper part 51d and the second taper part 52d (T1). > T2). Thus, the first taper portion 51d and the second taper portion 52d can be engaged with each other without rattling by screwing the male screw 51f to the female screw 52c (see FIG. 4B). .

  Next, a method for connecting the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 (a method for connecting the differential signal transmission cable to the substrate) using the cable connection device 50 formed as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To do.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining a procedure (cable holding step) for holding the front side cable group in the cable connecting device, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for explaining a procedure (cable holding step) for holding the back side cable group on the cable connecting device. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the terminal processing (cable terminal processing step) of the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group, and FIG. 8 is a procedure for connecting the differential signal transmission cable and the substrate (connection step). FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a procedure (cable connection device removal step) for removing the cable connection device after connecting the differential signal transmission cable and the substrate.

[Cable body preparation process]
First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a total of eight differential signal transmission cables 40, that is, a cable body 20 formed by bundling a front side cable group 40A and a back side cable group 40B are prepared. Here, the terminal of the cable body 20 (the right side in the figure) is stripped (terminal processing) in advance in another manufacturing process, whereby each terminal of the differential signal transmission cable 40 and the external conductor 21 are connected. The terminal is exposed to the outside. In this way, the cable preparation process is completed.

[Cable connection device preparation process]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a cable connection device 50 including an L-shaped member 51 and a prismatic member 52 is prepared. The cable connecting device 50 is a reusable jig that is repeatedly used when the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 are connected. Here, two cable connection devices 50 are prepared in correspondence with the front-side cable group 40A (see FIG. 5) and the back-side cable group 40B (see FIG. 6). Prior to the operation of connecting the cable body 20 and the substrate 30, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the L-shaped member 51 and the prismatic member 52 are separated. Thereby, a cable connection apparatus preparation process is completed.

[Cable holding process]
As shown by the dashed arrow (1) in FIG. 5, the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the front cable group 40A are held in the holding grooves 52b of the prismatic member 52, respectively. Thereafter, as indicated by a broken line arrow (2), the first tapered portion 51d side of the plate-like portion 51a of the L-shaped member 51 is inserted between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B. Here, the longitudinal direction of the plate-like portion 51a and the extending direction of the cable groups 40A and 40B are orthogonal to each other.

  Next, the L-shaped member 51 and the prismatic member 52 are moved relatively close to each other, and the distal end side of each columnar magnet 52 a of the prismatic member 52 enters the inside of each through hole 51 c of the L-shaped member 51. Like that. Thus, the state shown in FIG. 4A, that is, the wall 51b and the end in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 face each other, and the first taper 51d and the second taper 52d face each other. It becomes.

  Thereafter, as indicated by the broken line arrow (3), the knob portion 51i of the male screw 51f is rotated in the clockwise direction, whereby the screw portion 51h of the male screw 51f is screwed to the female screw 52c of the prismatic member 52. Then, by proceeding with the screw connection of the screw portion 51h to the female screw 52c, the end portion in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 is drawn toward the wall portion 51b as indicated by the broken arrow (4). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first tapered portion 51 d and the second tapered portion 52 d are engaged with each other, and the prismatic member 52 is attached to the L-shaped member 51. In this way, the cable holding step of holding the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the front-side cable group 40A in the cable connecting device 50 is completed.

  Further, as shown by a broken line arrow (5) in FIG. 6, the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the back cable group 40B are held in the holding grooves 52b of the prismatic member 52, respectively. Thereafter, as indicated by a broken line arrow (6), the first tapered portion 51d side of the plate-like portion 51a of the L-shaped member 51 is inserted between the front cable group 40A and the back cable group 40B. Here, the longitudinal direction of the plate-like portion 51a and the extending direction of the cable groups 40A and 40B are orthogonal to each other.

  However, the differential signal transmission cable 40 is inserted into the cable connection device 50 (see FIG. 5) corresponding to the front-side cable group 40A from the opposite side. This is because when the two cable connection devices 50 are removed from the completed cable assembly 10 (see FIG. 9), the knob portions 51i of the cable connection devices 50 are opposed to each other with the differential signal transmission cable 40 interposed therebetween. This is to improve the operability so that the work can be easily performed.

  Next, the L-shaped member 51 and the prismatic member 52 are moved relatively close to each other, and the distal end side of each columnar magnet 52 a of the prismatic member 52 enters the inside of each through hole 51 c of the L-shaped member 51. Like that. Thus, the state shown in FIG. 4A, that is, the wall 51b and the end in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 face each other, and the first taper 51d and the second taper 52d face each other. It becomes.

  Thereafter, as indicated by the broken line arrow (7), the knob 51i of the male screw 51f is rotated clockwise, whereby the screw 51h (see FIG. 4) of the male screw 51f is turned into the female screw 52c of the prismatic member 52. Connect to the screw. Then, by proceeding with the screw connection of the screw portion 51h to the female screw 52c, the end portion in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 is drawn toward the wall portion 51b as indicated by the broken arrow (8). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first tapered portion 51 d and the second tapered portion 52 d are engaged with each other, and the prismatic member 52 is attached to the L-shaped member 51. In this manner, the cable holding step for holding the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the back cable group 40B in the cable connecting device 50 is completed.

[Cable end processing process]
After the cable connection devices 50 are attached to the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B, the cable terminal processing step is subsequently performed. In the cable terminal processing step, as shown in FIG. 7, the terminals of the four differential signal transmission cables 40 aligned in a horizontal row are collectively processed in the front cable group 40A and the back cable group 40B. It is like that.

  Specifically, as shown by the broken line arrow (9), the terminals of the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the front cable group 40A are irradiated with, for example, high-energy laser light (not shown). Then, a part of the sheath 44 and the insulator 42 (see FIG. 2B) is removed, or a part of the external conductor 43 is removed using a cutter device (not shown). As a result, a part of each signal line conductor 41 and the outer conductor 43 is exposed to the outside.

  Here, also in the terminals of the four differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the back side cable group 40B, the terminal processing is similarly performed as shown by the broken line arrow (10). In this way, the cable terminal processing step is completed. Here, the terminals of the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B respectively held in the cable connecting device 50 are arranged and processed in an orderly manner as shown in FIG. 7, so that terminal processing (step stripping) is performed quickly and accurately. It can be performed.

[Connection process]
Next, a connection process for connecting the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 is performed. First, as shown by a broken line arrow (11) in FIG. 8, the cable connection device 50 corresponding to the front cable group 40A and the cable connection device 50 corresponding to the back cable group 40B are put together and overlapped. Here, it piles so that the plate-shaped part 51a of the cable connection apparatus 50 may face each other. Then, the cable connection devices 50 are attracted to each other by the magnetic force of the columnar magnets 52a provided in the respective cable connection devices 50, and the cable connection devices 50 are connected. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the connection of the cable connection devices 50 is aligned so as to be within the projection range when viewed from above in the figure intersecting the differential signal transmission cable 40. Thereby, the terminal of the front side cable group 40A and the terminal of the back side cable group 40B can be accurately aligned on the board 30 side.

  Next, the substrate 30 manufactured in advance in another manufacturing process is prepared, and the signal line contacts 31a and 32a and the ground contacts 31b and 32b side of the substrate 30 are indicated by broken line arrows (12). The cable groups 40A and 40B face each other. More specifically, the front surface 31 of the substrate 30 is directed to the front cable group 40A side, and the back surface 32 of the substrate 30 is directed to the back cable group 40B side. It arrange | positions between the terminal of 40A of front side cable groups, and the terminal of the back side cable group 40B.

  Thereafter, as indicated by a broken line arrow (13), a total of four ground conductors 35 manufactured in advance in another manufacturing process are prepared, and the external conductors 43 of the adjacent differential signal transmission cables 40 are covered. Deploy. Next, with the ground conductor 35 attached to the end of the differential signal transmission cable 40, a soldering iron SC is used to connect the signal line conductor 41 to the signal line contact as shown by the broken arrow (14). 31a and 32a, and the arm portion 35b of the ground conductor 35 are connected to the ground contacts 31b and 32b, respectively.

  Here, these connection operations are sequentially performed from the front cable group 40A side or from the back cable group 40B side. In that case, since each cable connection apparatus 50 is connected with the magnetic force of the columnar magnet 52a, each cable connection apparatus 50 does not leave | separate and can perform the said connection operation | work easily. In these connection operations, the ground conductor 35 and the external conductor 43 are also soldered.

  Thereafter, a resin case 36 (see FIG. 1A, not shown in detail) is provided so as to cover the connection portion between the cable body 20 and the substrate 30. In this way, the connection process is completed, and the cable assembly 10 is completed.

[Cable connection device removal process]
Next, a cable connecting device removing step for removing the pair of cable connecting devices 50 from the completed cable assembly 10 is performed. As shown by the broken line arrow (15) in FIG. 9, each knob 51i of each cable connecting device 50 is rotated counterclockwise to loosen and remove the screw connection to the screw 51h (see FIG. 4) of the male screw 51f. . Then, as shown by the broken line arrow (16), the end portion in the extending direction of the prismatic member 52 is separated from the wall portion 51b, and the engagement between the first tapered portion 51d and the second tapered portion 52d is released, The state shown in FIG. Then, the prismatic member 52 can be removed from the L-shaped member 51, and the prismatic member 52 is removed from the L-shaped member 51 as indicated by a broken line arrow (17). At this time, the prismatic member 52 is removed against the magnetic force of the columnar magnet 52a.

  Thereafter, the L-shaped member 51 of each cable connecting device 50 is extracted from between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B side as indicated by a broken line arrow (18). Here, since the plate-like portion 51a of the L-shaped member 51 is not provided with a step such as unevenness, the extraction work of the plate-like portion 51a can be performed smoothly, and the cable body 20 and the substrate 30 can be removed. A large load is not applied to the connection part (soldering part). In this way, the cable connecting device removing step is completed.

  As described above in detail, according to the method for connecting the differential signal transmission cable 40 to the substrate 30 and the cable connecting device 50 according to the first embodiment, the signal line conductors 41 of the front cable group 40A and the back cable group 40B. Are connected to the signal line contacts 31a and 32a of the substrate 30, respectively, because the cable connecting device 50 comprising the L-shaped member 51 and the prismatic member 52 which are detachable from each other is used. And the substrate 30 can be easily connected.

  After the differential signal transmission cable 40 and the board 30 are connected, the cable connection device 50 is removed from the cable body 20, so that the terminal of the cable body 20 can be reduced in size and a large number of high-speed digital signals can be obtained. Can be easily applied to equipment that can handle both.

  In addition, since the cable connecting device 50 is removed, the area of the signal line conductor 41 that is not covered with the insulator 42 can be reduced, and the electrical characteristics can be stabilized while suppressing the disturbance of impedance.

  Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that portions having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a cable terminal processing step according to the second embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, only the cable terminal processing step is different from the first embodiment described above. In the first embodiment, as shown by broken arrows (9) and (10) in FIG. 7, the front side cable group 40A and the back side cable group 40B are individually subjected to terminal processing. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, both the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B are collectively subjected to terminal processing.

  Specifically, first, the cable connection device 50 corresponding to the front side cable group 40A and the cable connection device 50 corresponding to the back side cable group 40B are put together and overlapped. Thereafter, as shown by the broken line arrow (19), the pair of cable connection devices 50 are slid relative to each other. Here, the sliding direction of each cable connecting device 50 is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the cable connecting device 50. Further, the relative sliding amount of each cable connecting device 50 is set to be approximately equal to the width dimension of the differential signal transmission cable 40. Here, the width dimension of the differential signal transmission cable 40 refers to a dimension along the extending direction of the major axis in the substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape of the differential signal transmission cable 40.

  Next, the differential signal transmission cables 40 (four) of the front side cable group 40A and the differential signal transmission cables 40 (four) of the back side cable group 40B are connected to the cable connecting device 50 as shown in FIG. Are arranged in a horizontal row along the longitudinal direction. Then, under the state, as shown by the broken line arrow (20), the terminal of the total of eight differential signal transmission cables 40 is irradiated with, for example, high-energy laser light, and the sheath 44 or the insulator 42 (see FIG. 2B) is removed, or a part of the external conductor 43 is removed using a cutter device (not shown). As a result, a part of each signal line conductor 41 and the outer conductor 43 is exposed to the outside. Next, the sliding state of the pair of cable connection devices 50 is restored to the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the above-described [connection step] is performed.

  In the second embodiment formed as described above, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. In addition, in the second embodiment, since a total of eight differential signal transmission cables 40 forming the front cable group 40A and the back cable group 40B can be collectively processed (stepped), the cable terminal While simplifying the processing steps, it is possible to suppress variations in terminal processing between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B.

  Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that portions having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a cable connecting apparatus according to the third embodiment.

  The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above only in the structure of the cable connecting device. As shown in FIG. 11, the cable connection device 60 according to the third embodiment includes a plate-like member 61 as a first member, a prismatic member 62 as a second member, and a pair of torsion springs 63 as spring members. And. Here, the plate-like member 61, the prismatic member 62, and the torsion spring 63 are all made of stainless steel, and the torsion spring 63 constitutes an attachment state holding mechanism in the present invention.

  The plate-like member 61 is provided with a pair of through holes 51c in the same manner as the plate-like portion 51a (see FIG. 5) of the L-shaped member 51 described above. In addition, the prismatic member 62 includes a pair of columnar magnets 52a and four holding grooves 52b disposed between the columnar magnets 52a, like the prismatic member 52 (see FIG. 5) described above. I have. However, in the cable connection device 60, each columnar magnet 52a that has entered the inside of each through hole 51c is located inside each through hole 51c as in the cable connection device 50 (see FIG. 4) of the first embodiment described above. There is no movement.

  Each torsion spring 63 includes a spring body 63a and a pair of arms 63b. Each torsion spring 63 is provided side by side on the longitudinal direction one side (left side in the figure) of the plate-like member 61 and the prismatic member 62. One arm 63 b of each torsion spring 63 is embedded on one side in the longitudinal direction of the plate-like member 61, and the other arm 63 b of each torsion spring 63 is embedded on one side in the longitudinal direction of the prismatic member 62. That is, one end of each torsion spring 63 is fixed to the plate-like member 61, and the other end of each torsion spring 63 is fixed to the prismatic member 62.

  The elastic force (spring force) of each torsion spring 63 acts in a direction in which the prismatic member 62 is attached to the plate member 61, that is, in a direction in which both are brought into close contact with each other. That is, when the cable connecting device 60 is attached to each of the front side cable group 40A and the back side cable group 40B (see FIG. 7), the prismatic member 62 is formed in a plate shape as shown by a broken line arrow (21) in FIG. The prismatic member 62 is removed from the plate member 61 by pulling in the direction of separating from the member 61. Thereby, the cable connection device 60 can be attached to or detached from the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B.

  Also in the third embodiment formed as described above, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the third embodiment, the plate-like member 61 and the prismatic member 62 do not fall apart (separately), so that the cable connection device 60 can be easily managed. In addition, the attachment state holding mechanism can be formed by only the torsion spring 63, and the number of parts can be reduced to realize cost reduction. However, not only two torsion springs 63 are provided, but one torsion spring or three or more torsion springs may be provided.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that portions having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the cable connecting device according to the fourth embodiment.

  The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above only in the structure of the cable connection device. As shown in FIG. 12, the cable connection device 70 according to the fourth embodiment includes a T-shaped member 71 as a first member and a pair of prismatic members 72 as a second member. Here, both the T-shaped member 71 and the prismatic member 72 are made of stainless steel.

  In the cable connecting device 70, the cable connecting device 50 (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the front side cable group 40A in the first embodiment and the cable connecting device 50 (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the back side cable group 40B are used as a reference. The lines C are integrated so as to be mirror-symmetric with respect to the boundary. Thus, the cylindrical magnet (magnet) for connecting a separate cable connection apparatus is made unnecessary by integrating a cable connection apparatus with 40A of front side cable groups, and 40B of back side cable groups.

  In the fourth embodiment formed as described above, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the T-shaped member 71 may be inserted and removed once between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B. It can be simplified. In addition, the weight of the cable connection device 70 and the cost can be reduced by the amount that the cylindrical magnet is unnecessary.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in each of the embodiments described above, in the cable holding step, after the differential signal transmission cable 40 is held in the holding groove 52b, the L-shaped member is provided between the front cable group 40A and the back cable group 40B. 51 (Embodiment 1), plate-like member 61 (Embodiment 3), and T-shaped member 71 (Embodiment 4) are shown inserted, but the present invention is not limited to this. On the contrary, the L-shaped member 51, the plate-shaped member 61, and the T-shaped member 71 are first inserted between the front-side cable group 40A and the back-side cable group 40B, and then the differential signal is input to the holding groove 52b. The transmission cable 40 may be held.

  In each of the above embodiments, the resin case 36 (see FIG. 1) is provided so as to cover the soldered portion between the cable body 20 and the substrate 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the terminal of the cable assembly 10 needs to be further downsized, the resin case 36 may be omitted.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the L-shaped member 51, the plate-shaped member 61, the T-shaped member 71 as the first member, and the prismatic members 52, 62, 72 as the second member are each made of stainless steel. Although what was made of steel was shown, this invention is not restricted to this, For example, it is good also as a product made from hard resin.

  In the first and second embodiments, the pair of cable connection devices 50 are connected such that the respective knob portions 51i are arranged to face each other across the differential signal transmission cable 40. The present invention is not limited to this, and the respective knob portions 51i may be arranged collectively on one side of the differential signal transmission cable 40.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the cable connection devices 50, 60, and 70 in which the four differential signal transmission cables 40 are grouped on the front surface 31 and the back surface 32 of the substrate 30 are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the case where the front and rear surfaces 31 and 32 of the substrate 30 are connected together, for example, by two or eight differential signal transmission cables 40.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cable assembly 20 Cable body 21 External conductor 22 Protective coating 23 Mold resin part 30 Board | substrate 31 Surface 31a Signal line contact (front side connection part)
31b Ground contact 32 Back side 32a Signal line contact (rear side connection)
32b Ground contact 33, 34 Tapered portion 35 Ground conductor 35a Body portion 35b Arm portion 36 Resin case 40 Differential signal transmission cable 40A Front side cable group 40B Back side cable group 41 Signal line conductor 42 Insulator 43 External conductor 44 Sheath 50 Cable connection device 51 L-shaped member (first member)
51a Plate-like part 51b Wall part 51c Through-hole 51d 1st taper part (attachment state holding mechanism)
51e Mounting hole 51f Male thread (Mounting state holding mechanism)
51g Screw body 51h Screw part 51i Knob part 52 Square columnar member (second member)
52a Cylindrical magnet (magnet)
52b Holding groove 52c Female thread (Mounting state holding mechanism)
52d 2nd taper part (attachment state holding mechanism)
60 Cable connection device 61 Plate member (first member)
62 prismatic member (second member)
63 Torsion spring (mounting state holding mechanism, spring member)
63a Spring body 63b Arm 70 Cable connection device 71 T-shaped member (first member)
72 prismatic member (second member)
R retaining ring

Claims (8)

A method for connecting a differential signal transmission cable to a board, wherein a plurality of differential signal transmission cables are connected to both sides of the board, respectively.
A cable body preparation step of preparing a cable body formed by bundling a front side cable group connected to the front side of the board and a back side cable group connected to the back side of the board;
A first member that is inserted and removed between the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group; a holding member that holds the differential signal transmission cable; and a second member that is detachable from the first member; A cable connection device preparation step for preparing a cable connection device comprising:
A cable holding step of holding the differential signal transmission cable in the holding groove, inserting the first member between the front cable group and the back cable group, and attaching the second member to the first member; ,
A connection step of connecting the signal line conductor of the differential signal transmission cable to the front side connection portion and the back side connection portion of the substrate,
A cable connecting device removing step of removing the second member from the first member and extracting the first member from between the front cable group and the back cable group;
A method for connecting a differential signal transmission cable to a substrate. In the connection method to the board | substrate of the differential signal transmission cable of Claim 1,
A differential signal transmission is provided between the cable holding step and the connecting step, wherein a cable end processing step is provided for processing the ends of the front side cable group and the back side cable group to expose the signal line conductors to the outside. To connect the cable to the board. In the connection method to the board | substrate of the cable for differential signal transmission of Claim 2,
In the cable terminal processing step, a pair of the cable connection devices corresponding to the front cable group and the back cable group are used in an overlapping manner, and the pair of the cable connection devices are slid to each other, whereby the front cable group and the back side A method of connecting a differential signal transmission cable to a substrate, wherein the differential signal transmission cables forming a cable group are arranged in a horizontal row and the terminal is processed under the state. A cable connection device used to connect a plurality of differential signal transmission cables to both sides of a substrate,
A first member inserted and removed between a front side cable group connected to the front side of the board and a back side cable group connected to the back side of the board;
A second member that has a holding groove for holding the differential signal transmission cable and is detachable from the first member;
A cable connection device. The cable connection device according to claim 4, wherein
A cable connection device, wherein the second member is provided with a magnet that attracts another cable connection device. The cable connection device according to claim 4 or 5,
A cable connection device, wherein an attachment state holding mechanism for holding an attachment state of the second member with respect to the first member is provided between the first member and the second member. The cable connection device according to claim 6, wherein
The first member extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the plate-like portion, the plate-like portion inserted and removed between the front-side cable group and the back-side cable group, and the extending direction of the second member An end portion and a facing wall portion,
The attachment state holding mechanism includes a male screw provided so as to be rotatable and unmovable with respect to the wall portion, and a female screw provided at an end portion in the extending direction of the second member. The cable connection device according to claim 6, wherein
The attachment state holding mechanism includes a spring member having one end fixed to the first member and the other end fixed to the second member, and the elastic force of the spring member causes the second member to move to the first member. A cable connection device that acts in the direction of attachment to one member.

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