JP2019012629A - Elastic connector and conductively connecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an elastic connector having a plurality of electrode parts that conductively connect a first connection object to a second connection object, which can favorably conductively connect the objects to each other at low loads and suppress increase in resistance values.SOLUTION: A plurality of electrode parts 13, in which conductive particles are continuous like beads, have: a conductive path 11 having one end surface which come into contact with the first connection object and the other end surface which come into contact with the second connection object; and a protective coating 12 made of an insulative rubber elastic body for protecting a side of the conductive path 11. The plurality of electrode parts 13 are formed so that heights between both end surfaces are different between one electrode part 13a and another electrode part 13b, and are arranged so that the higher the height between both end surfaces, the larger compressibility between both end surfaces between the one electrode part and the other electrode part, while being held between the first connection object and the second connection object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic connector for conductively connecting between connection objects, and a conduction connection method between connection objects using the elastic connector.

  The circuit board and metal are used for the purpose of grounding to electrically connect the electrodes of the circuit board facing each other, between the electrodes of the circuit board and the electronic component, and to release static electricity and electromagnetic noise accumulated on the electronic component on the circuit board. An elastic connector used by being sandwiched between a casing and the like is known.

  When installing an elastic connector between such objects to be connected, if the pressure load by the object to be connected is too high, the elastic connector buckles or a part of the object to be connected such as a case warps. The rubber material of the elastic connector has been improved to have a low hardness so that appropriate conductive connection is possible even when the pressing load is low. However, if the rubber material is too soft, there is a problem that the orientation of the conductive particles is disturbed and the resistance value increases as the compression of the elastic connector proceeds. In order to avoid the problem of buckling of this elastic connector, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-26140 (Patent Document 1) describes a technique in which a hard reinforcing core material is provided in an elastic connector up to a certain height.

JP 2013-26140 A

  However, when the reinforcing core member is incorporated in the elastic connector, the elastic connector becomes hard, so that the load value when compressed is increased, which does not lead to a decrease in the compression load for eliminating the warp of the housing.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an elastic connector which can be suitably connected with a low load and has a small increase in resistance. Moreover, it aims at providing the conduction | electrical_connection connection method between the connection objects using such an elastic connector.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following elastic connector. That is, the present invention relates to an elastic connector having a plurality of electrode portions for electrically connecting a first connection object and a second connection object, and the plurality of electrode portions are all electrically conductive particles. Are connected in a daisy chain and have a conductive path having one end surface that contacts the first connection object and the other end surface that contacts the second connection object, and protects the side surface of the conductive path. A protective coating made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body, and the plurality of electrode portions are formed such that the height between the both end faces is different between one electrode portion and the other electrode portion. While being held between the first connection object and the second connection object, the compression ratio between the both end surfaces of the one electrode part and the other electrode part is It has a configuration characterized in that the electrode part with a higher height between the faces is arranged to be larger. The

  Since the elastic connector is configured to have a plurality of electrode portions that conductively connect the first connection object and the second connection object, a plurality of resistance values and pressing loads that are indicators of the characteristics of the elastic connector are provided. It can be expressed as the sum of the features of the electrode part. Therefore, the characteristics can be changed for each electrode part.

  In addition, the plurality of electrode portions of the elastic connector have conductive particles continuous in a daisy chain, one end surface that contacts the first connection object, and the other end surface that contacts the second connection object. And a protective coating made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that protects the side surface of the conductive path. Therefore, each electrode part can be connected to a connection object. In addition, since the conductive paths are covered with an insulating protective coating, it is possible to insulate the plurality of conductive paths from each other and protect the conductive paths whose orientation is likely to be disturbed by pressing.

  The plurality of electrode portions of the elastic connector are formed such that a height between the both end faces is different between one electrode portion and another electrode portion, and the first connection object and the second connection object. In a state of being sandwiched between objects, the one electrode part and the other electrode part are arranged so that the compression ratio between the both end faces increases as the height of the electrode part between the both end faces increases. For this reason, the resistance value can be lowered when the elastic connector is continuously compressed, so that stable conduction between the connection objects can be maintained. In addition, since a large increase in the pressing load can be suppressed, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of warping of the connection object during assembly or thereafter.

  In other words, the elastic connector forms a single electrode by setting the first electrode part having a height and the second electrode part having a lower height as a set. It is possible to make an elastic connector having a large assembly allowable range. That is, a device with a large thickness tends to have a large manufacturing tolerance, and if the thickness is thinner than the median value, it tends to cause a problem of buckling or a load increase of the elastic connector. In any case, there is a possibility that suitable assembly cannot be performed. However, since the elastic connector of the present invention can increase the allowable range for the thickness between the connection objects, it can be suitably applied to a large device in which the length tolerance between the connection objects tends to be large. Moreover, the tolerance with respect to the impact when dropping portable devices, such as a smart phone and a notebook PC, is high, and it is hard to produce the contact failure by the shift | offset | difference of a connection target object. As one embodiment of such an elastic connector, an elastic connector that can be sandwiched between connection objects having a tolerance of 0.5 ± 0.3 mm between the connection objects can be provided.

  The elastic connector has the same height between the both end surfaces of the one electrode part and the other electrode part in a state of being sandwiched between the first connection object and the second connection object. It can comprise as what is arrange | positioned so that it may become. Arranged so that the height between the both end faces is the same between the one electrode part and the other electrode part in a state of being sandwiched between the first connection object and the second connection object Therefore, the resistance value to which the elastic connector is assembled can be lowered, and stable conduction between the connection objects can be maintained. In addition, since a large increase in the pressing load can be suppressed, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of warping of the connection object during assembly or thereafter.

  The said elastic connector can be comprised as what has a connection part which consists of an insulating rubber-like elastic body which connects the some electrode part between several electrode parts. Since it has a structure having a connecting portion made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that connects the plurality of electrode portions between the plurality of electrode portions, an appropriate distance is set between the two electrode portions, and the conductive paths are parallel to each other. Can be maintained. Furthermore, the load when the elastic connector is compressed can be further reduced by making the connecting portion an insulating rubber-like elastic body. If the connecting portion is made of a silver filler, the electrical conductivity may be improved, but the entire elastic connector becomes hard and the load may increase rapidly. In addition, the material cost increases and the demerit factor increases.

  The elastic connector can be configured to have a base portion made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body protruding from the electrode portion in the side surface direction of the electrode portion. Since the elastic connector has a base part made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body protruding from the electrode part in the side surface direction of the electrode part, the handleability of the elastic connector is improved and the electrode part is not easily bent or buckled. can do.

  The elastic connector may be configured such that the end surfaces of the plurality of electrode portions located on one side thereof are formed flush with each other. Since the plurality of electrode portions of the elastic connector are configured so that the end surfaces located on one side thereof are flush with each other, it is easy to install and fix one of the connection objects by soldering or the like, and the elastic connector by the other connection object It is easy to make the pressing direction to a suitable direction. Therefore, it is easy to perform suitable assembly.

  The elastic connector may include two of the plurality of electrode portions. Since the elastic connector includes the two electrode portions, the elastic connector can be an elastic connector that has a low load and does not easily increase in resistance value by simply providing two electrode portions having different heights. Also, two electrode portions can be easily formed.

  The elastic connector has a height between the opposite end faces of the conductive path with respect to a diameter of the conductive path having a highest height between the exposed end faces among the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions. Can be configured to be 0.5 to 4 times as long. Because the height of the conductive path with the highest electrode height is 0.5 to 4 times the diameter of the conductive path, it is difficult to bend or buckle, and it is easy to conduct between connected objects with low load. Connection is possible.

  Among the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions, the elastic connector has a lower height of the two conductive paths having the most different heights as compared with the higher one. It can be configured to be 90% high. In the elastic connector, the lower conductive path is 30 to 90% higher than the higher conductive path, so that the height of the lower electrode part is too low before the higher electrode part is pressed too much. The pressing load can be distributed to the electrode portion on the other side. Therefore, an increase in resistance value due to pressing can be suppressed.

  The elastic connector may be configured such that a plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions have the same diameter. Since the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions have the same length, the conductive paths can be easily formed.

  The elastic connector can be configured such that the hardness of the insulating rubber-like elastic body is 20 to 30 in terms of A hardness. Since the hardness of the insulating rubber-like elastic body of the elastic connector is 20 to 30 in terms of A hardness, the elastic connector can be pressed with a low load of 3N or less and conductively connected between connected objects without causing bending or buckling. It can be.

  The elastic connector may be configured such that the protective coating on the one end face side of the plurality of electrode portions protrudes in the conductive direction of the conductive path from the connecting portion. Since the protective coating on the one end face side of the plurality of electrode portions protrudes in the conductive direction of the conductive path with respect to the elastic connector, the protective coating is more conductive than the connecting portion. At the end portion of the conductive path protruding in the direction, only the electrode portion comes into contact with the connection object, so that the pressing load on the elastic connector can be suppressed. On the other hand, if not only the electrode part but also the connecting part comes into contact with the connection object, an extra load is applied to press the connecting part and the pressing load becomes high. The increase in load is suppressed.

  The elastic connector may be an elastic connector having a pressing load of 3N or less when the height of the conductive path of the first electrode portion is compressed by 60%. The elastic connector has a pressing load of 3N or less when the height of the conductive path of the first electrode portion is compressed by 60%, so that the elastic connector can compress 60% with a low load of 3N or less.

  According to the said structure, since a load is 3 N or less when a compression rate is 60%, the risk of warping connection objects, such as a housing | casing, at the time of an assembly | attachment of an elastic connector can be reduced. In general, elastic connectors are often used in a compression rate range of 10 to 20%. At this point, the load is about 1 to 2N. However, if the compression rate is higher than this, the load becomes considerably large. Therefore, it is preferable in that the load can be suppressed to 3N or less and 60% of the compression rate can be achieved.

  Further, when the elastic connector is pressed, the resistance value continues to decrease from the start of compression to the end of compression, and the resistance value can be 0.15Ω or less at a compression rate of 60%. If the resistance value can be 0.15Ω or less at a compression rate of 60%, even an ASSY product with a large variation in the distance between connected objects, etc. Even when large compression is performed such that the compression rate is 60% at the time of assembly, stable conductivity can be maintained, and thus tolerance for this variation can be increased.

  The elastic connector may be configured such that a metal portion is formed on one end face of the plurality of electrode portions. Since the elastic connector is configured such that a metal portion is formed on one end face of the plurality of electrode portions, the elastic connector is an elastic connector that can be easily assembled to a connection object using soldering.

  The present invention also provides the following conductive connection method using an elastic connector. That is, regarding the conductive connection method in which the first connection object and the second connection object are conductively connected by an elastic connector having a plurality of electrode parts, the plurality of electrode parts are electrically conductive particles. Are connected in a daisy chain and have a conductive path having one end surface that contacts the first connection object and the other end surface that contacts the second connection object, and protects the side surface of the conductive path. A protective coating made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body, and the height between the end faces is different between one electrode part and the other electrode part, and the first connection object The conductive connection method using an elastic connector, wherein the plurality of electrode portions contact the object or the second connection object in a stepwise manner.

  The elastic connector includes a plurality of electrode portions having different heights, and the plurality of electrode portions contact the first connection object or the second connection object in a stepwise manner. The pressing load with respect to the compression can be kept low, and an increase in resistance value can be suppressed. In addition, the conductive connection can be established even when only a part of the plurality of connection portions having different heights from the connection object are in contact with each other. Therefore, this conductive connection method can be applied to a multistage sensor, or can be used so that only some of the plurality of electrode portions are conductively connected.

  According to the elastic connector of the present invention, it is an elastic connector that can reduce a pressing load against compression and suppress an increase in resistance value.

  Further, according to the conductive connection method of the present invention, the pressing load against compression can be reduced, an increase in the resistance value can be suppressed, and a part of the plurality of connection portions having different heights contacted the connection object. It is possible to make a conductive connection only.

It is a top view of the elastic connector of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of the elastic connector of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state before attaching the elastic connector of FIG. 1 between connection objects. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state in the middle of assembling | attaching the elastic connector of FIG. 1 between connection objects. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state which assembled | attached the elastic connector of FIG. 1 between the connection objects. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a modified form of the elastic connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 7 shows an elastic connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of one elastic connector, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. FIG. 7 (c) is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1 of still another elastic connector. It is a top view of the elastic connector for a comparison. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line of the elastic connector of FIG. It is a graph which shows the pressure-resistance and load relationship of the elastic connector of this invention. It is a graph which shows the pressure-resistance and load relationship of another elastic connector of this invention. It is a graph which shows the pressure-resistance and load relationship of another elastic connector of this invention. It is a graph which shows the press-resistance and load relationship of another elastic connector of this invention. It is a graph which shows the pressure-resistance and load relationship of the elastic connector with which the height of the two electrode parts for a comparison is equal. It is a graph which shows the pressure-resistance and load relationship of the elastic connector which has only one electrode part for a comparison.

  The elastic connector of this invention is demonstrated in detail based on embodiment. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the overlapping parts, and the description of the overlapping functions, materials, manufacturing methods, operational effects, etc. is omitted.

  First Embodiment [FIGS. 1 to 5]:

  The top view of the elastic connector 10 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, and the sectional view is shown in FIG. The elastic connector 10 is formed of a conductive path 11a in which conductive particles are connected in a row and oriented in the vertical direction in FIG. 2, and a protective coating 12a made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that protects the side surface of the conductive path 11a. The first electrode portion 13a is formed, and the second electrode portion 13b is formed by a conductive path 11b made of the same material as the first electrode portion 13a and a protective coating 12b. And between these two electrode parts 13a and 13b, the connection part 14 which connects these two electrode parts 13a and 13b is provided, and these electrode parts 13a, 13b are provided in the two electrode parts 13a and 13b. It has the base part 15 which protrudes in the side surface direction from 13b. In addition, like the protective coatings 12a and 12b, the connecting portion 14 and the base portion 15 are formed of an insulating rubber-like elastic body, and these portions are integrally formed from the same material. These parts are collectively referred to as an insulating portion 16. Moreover, in FIG. 2, the boundary for distinguishing the site | part of protective coating 12a, 12b, the connection part 14, and the base part 15 is shown with the broken line.

  Both end faces a1 and a2 of the first electrode portion 13a are exposed to the outside, and both end faces b1 and b2 of the second electrode portion 13b are also exposed to the outside. One end face thereof, that is, the lower end faces a2 and b2 in FIG. 2 are formed flush with each other. If the surface on this side is the bottom surface of the elastic connector 10, it is easier to install one surface of the connection object by soldering or the like when the bottom surface is flush, and then the upper surface of the first electrode portion 13a having a different height is already installed. It becomes easy to press-contact with one connection object.

  The two conductive paths 11a and 11b forming the electrodes are formed such that the diameters of the conductive paths exposed at the both end faces a1, a2, b1 and b2 are equal, and should be 0.3 to 1.5 mm. it can. When the diameter is smaller than 0.3 mm, the handling is difficult and the workability is inferior. On the other hand, if the diameter is larger than 1.5 mm, the size of the elastic connector 10 becomes too large, and the quality becomes excessive for the purpose of conduction between the boards or between the board and the electronic component.

  Of the conductive paths 11a and 11b, the height of the higher conductive path 11a, that is, the length from the lower end face a2 to the upper end face a1 can be set to 0.5 to 6 mm. When the height is lower than 0.5 mm, handling thereof is difficult and workability is inferior. On the other hand, if the height is larger than 6 mm, it is easy to buckle between the connection objects, and it is not possible to arrange them properly, and there is a possibility that a suitable conductive connection between the connection objects is impaired.

  The height of the conductive path 11a on the first electrode portion 13a side is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 4 times the diameter of the conductive path 11a exposed on the end surface a2. When the length is less than 0.5 times, the handling is difficult and the workability is inferior. On the other hand, if the length is longer than four times, it is easy to buckle between the connection objects, and it cannot be properly arranged, and there is a possibility that a suitable conductive connection between the connection objects is impaired. The ratio of the height to the diameter of the conductive path 11a is substantially the same in the conductive path 11b in the second electrode portion 13b.

  Of the two conductive paths 11a and 11b, the height of the lower conductive path 11b is set to 30 to 90% of the height of the higher conductive path 11a. It is preferable. If the ratio of the height is lower than 30%, there is a difference in height between the two conductive paths 11a and 11b, and the conductive path 11b having a low height is preferably pressed between the connection objects. This is because the conductive value 11a having a high height may be excessively pressed before and the resistance value may increase. On the other hand, when the ratio of the height is larger than 90%, there is little difference in height between the conductive path 11b having a low height and the conductive path 11a having a high height, and the heights of the two conductive paths 11a and 11b are high. This is because the effect of changing the height is unlikely to occur.

  In such an elastic connector 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper end surface a1 of the first electrode 13a and the upper end surface b1 of the second electrode 13b are arranged to face one connection surface F1 of one connection object Fa, The lower end surface a2 of the first electrode 13a and the lower end surface b2 of the second electrode 13b are arranged to face one connection surface F2 of another connection object Fb. The connection surface F1 and the connection surface F2 are preferably flat surfaces. This is because it is one of the features of the elastic connector 10 that the end surfaces having different distances from the flat surface are brought into contact with each other.

  To assemble the elastic connector 10 between the two connection objects Fa and Fb, the lower end surfaces a2 and b2 of the first electrode part 13a and the second electrode part 13b are connected to one other connection object Fb. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end surface a <b> 1 of the first electrode portion 13 a is brought into contact with one connection surface F <b> 1 of one connection object Fa from the state of being in contact with the surface F <b> 2. And the 1st electrode part 13a is pressed and compressed with one connection target object Fa and the other one connection target object Fb, and one connection surface F1 of one connection target object Fa and the 2nd electrode part 13b The upper end surface b1 is also brought into contact. Thus, the first electrode portion 13a and the second electrode portion 13b are sandwiched between the one connection object Fa and the other connection object Fb in a stepwise manner.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the elastic connector 10 is assembled between the two connection objects Fa and Fb. The upper end surface a1 of the first electrode portion 13a and the upper end surface b1 of the second electrode portion 13b are in contact with one connection surface F1 of the one connection object Fa, and the lower end surface a2 of the first electrode portion 13a and the second electrode The lower end surface b2 of the part 13b is in contact with one connection surface F2 of the other connection object Fb. Then, the elastic connector 10 conductively connects one connection object Fa and another connection object Fb. Therefore, when viewed from the connection object side, the end surface a1 of the first electrode portion 13a and the end surface b1 of the second electrode portion 13b having different heights are in contact with a flat surface that is one connection surface F1 of the connection object Fa. In the elastic connector 10, one electrode 17 is formed by the first electrode portion 13a and the second electrode portion 13b.

  The conductive path 11 is a part that becomes conductive paths, in which conductive particles (conductors) dispersed in a rubber-like base material are oriented in a row in the conductive direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2). Examples of the material of the conductor include particles, fibers, and fine wires made of metal, ceramic, and the like. When a magnetic conductor is used as the conductor, for example, nickel, cobalt, iron, ferrite, or an alloy containing a large amount thereof can be used. In addition, powders and fine wires made of highly conductive metals such as gold, silver, platinum, aluminum, nickel, copper, iron, palladium, cobalt, and chromium, alloys such as stainless steel and brass, resins, and insulating ceramics Can be used which is plated with a magnetic conductor, or a magnetic conductor plated with a highly conductive metal. As another configuration of the conductive path, a conductive rubber in which a conductor is uniformly dispersed in an insulating rubber-like base material can be used. In this case, examples of the material of the conductor include good-electricity metals, resins, ceramics, and carbon black.

  The protective coating 12, which is the insulating portion 16, the connecting portion 14, and the base portion 15 are formed of an insulating rubber-like elastic body. As the material, thermosetting rubber or thermoplastic elastomer can be used. For example, natural rubber, silicone rubber, isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, 1,2-polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, chlorosulfone rubber, polyethylene rubber, acrylic rubber , Epichlorohydrin rubber, fluoro rubber, urethane rubber, styrene thermoplastic elastomer, olefin thermoplastic elastomer, ester thermoplastic elastomer, urethane thermoplastic elastomer, amide thermoplastic elastomer, vinyl chloride thermoplastic elastomer, fluorinated resin A thermoplastic elastomer, an ion-crosslinking thermoplastic elastomer, etc. are mentioned. As will be described later, when heat-curing in a mold, thermosetting rubber is preferable, and silicone rubber and fluorine rubber having high heat resistance are more preferable.

  It is preferable that the hardness of the rubber-like elastic body of the insulating part 16 is 20 to 30 in terms of A hardness according to JISK6253. If the hardness of the rubber-like elastic body is 20 to 30 in terms of A hardness, an elastic connector in which one electrode is formed by a plurality of electrode portions can be obtained. If the A hardness is lower than 20, there is a risk of causing insulation failure due to bending or buckling of the highest electrode part. If the A hardness is higher than 30, the increase in load due to compression is increased, and there is a risk of causing warpage of the connection object such as a housing.

  Modified example of the first embodiment [FIG. 6]:

  FIG. 6 shows a modified elastic connector 20. Compared with the elastic connector 10, the elastic connector 20 has a first electrode portion 13 a and a second electrode portion 13 b on one side end surfaces a 2 and b 2, that is, a metal portion 17 made of copper foil on the bottom surface of the elastic connector 20. Different points are provided. By providing the metal portion 17, the conductive paths 11a and 11b can be electrically connected to each other, and can be easily assembled to the connection object Fb by soldering.

  In order to manufacture the elastic connectors 10 and 20, it is possible to employ a method in which the magnetic conductive particles serving as the conductive paths 11 are magnetically oriented in the rubber-like elastic body. A raw material composition in which magnetic conductive particles are dispersed in a liquid rubber that is cured to become a rubbery elastic body, and a mold composed of an upper mold and a lower mold in which magnetic pins are arranged are prepared. Then, the raw material composition is injected into this mold, and a magnetic field is applied to magnetically orient the magnetic conductive particles in the liquid rubber. The elastic connector 10 can be obtained by curing the liquid rubber. In the case where the metal part 17 is formed on one end face of the electrode part 13, an elastic connector 20 in which the metal part 17 is integrated is obtained by inserting a metal piece to be the metal part 17 in the mold in advance. Can do. The elastic connector 20 having the metal part 17 can be surface-mounted on the connection object Fb of the elastic connector 20 by soldering the metal part 17 to the connection object Fb.

  Second Embodiment [FIG. 7A]:

  FIG. 7A shows the elastic connector 30a of the present embodiment. While the elastic connectors 10 and 20 of the first embodiment have two electrode portions, the first electrode portion 13a and the second electrode portion 13b, the elastic connector 30a of the present embodiment further includes a third electrode portion. 13c and three electrode portions. In the elastic connector 30a, the conductive path of the third electrode portion 13c is formed as the shortest of the three electrode portions, and the shape is arranged in this order from the first electrode portion 13a to the third electrode portion 13c in this order. It is configured. The elastic connector 30a is also an elastic connector that can be suitably conductively connected with a low load and has a small increase in resistance value.

  Modified example of the second embodiment [FIG. 7B, FIG. 7C]:

  FIG. 7B shows an elastic connector 30b according to a modification of the second embodiment. The arrangement of the three electrode portions 13a to 13c is different from that of the elastic connector 30a, and the first electrode portion 13a having the longest conductive path is formed at the center of the three electrode portions arranged side by side.

  FIG. 7C shows an elastic connector 30c according to another modification of the second embodiment. In this elastic connector 30c, each of the electrode portions 13a to 13c is formed so as to occupy the apex of the triangle, as compared with the elastic connectors 30a and 30b in which the three electrode portions are formed in a horizontal row. The elastic connectors 30b and 30c are also elastic connectors that can be suitably connected with a low load and have a small increase in resistance value.

  Elastic connector manufacturing:

  An elastic connector having the shape shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured. The size of this elastic connector is such that the height of the conductive path of the first electrode portion is 1.3 mm, the diameter of the conductive path is 0.5 mm, the diameter of the end surface including the protective coating on the conductive path is 0.8 mm, The height of the conductive path of the second electrode portion is 1.0 mm, the diameter of the conductive path is 0.5 mm, the diameter of the end surface including the protective coating on the conductive path is 0.8 mm, and the height of the connecting portion is 0. 5 mm, the distance between the centers of the two conductive paths is 1.3 mm (distance between the ends of the conductive paths is 0.8 mm), the width of the bottom surface on the side where the end surfaces are flush is 2.5 mm, and the depth of this bottom surface is 1.0 mm. A metal part having the same size and a thickness of 35 μm was further provided on the bottom surface. As the material, silver-coated nickel filler was used as magnetic conductive particles in the conductive path, and the insulating part was formed of a cured product of liquid silicone rubber having an A hardness of 30. A copper plate was used for the metal part. This elastic connector was designated as Sample 1.

  Further, the insulating part has the same size and shape as the sample 1 except that the height of the conductive path of the first electrode part is 0.95 mm and the height of the conductive path of the second electrode part is 0.65 mm. An elastic connector having an A hardness of 25 was designated as Sample 2.

  Further, the insulating part has the same size and shape as the sample 1 except that the height of the conductive path of the first electrode part is 0.95 mm and the height of the conductive path of the second electrode part is 0.8 mm. An elastic connector having an A hardness of 25 was designated as Sample 3.

  Furthermore, the hardness of the insulating part is the same size and shape as the sample 1 except that the height of the conductive path of the first electrode part is 0.95 mm and the height of the conductive path of the second electrode part is 0.8 mm. Sample 4 was also an elastic connector having an A hardness of 30.

  For comparison, an elastic connector including two electrode portions having the same height was manufactured by replacing the second electrode portion of sample 1 with one having the same size and shape as the first electrode portion. This elastic connector was designated as Sample 5.

  For comparison, an elastic connector R having the shape shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 including only one electrode portion was manufactured. The size of this elastic connector is such that the height of the conductive path of the first electrode portion is 1.3 mm, the diameter of the conductive path is 0.7 mm, the diameter of the end face including the protective coating on this conductive path is 1 mm, The width was 2.5 mm, and the depth of the bottom surface was 1.0 mm. Further, a metal part was provided on the bottom surface in the same manner as Sample 1. The material is the same as Sample 1. This elastic connector was designated as Sample 6.

  Load resistance measurement test:

  Using a load measuring device (manufactured by AIKOH ENGINEERING), a load value based on the change in height of the conductive path when the elastic connectors of the samples 1 to 6 are pressed is obtained, and a resistance measuring device (“REMOTE” manufactured by NEC) is obtained. SCANNER Jr.DC3100 ”) was used to determine the change in resistance. The result for sample 1 is shown in FIG. 10, the result for sample 2 is shown in FIG. 11, the result for sample 3 is shown in FIG. 12, the result for sample 4 is shown in FIG. 13, the result for sample 5 is shown in FIG. 10 to 15, the left vertical axis represents the resistance value (Ω), the right vertical axis represents the load value (N), and the horizontal axis represents the change in the height of the conductive path of the first electrode portion.

  Discussion:

  In the sample 6 having one electrode part, when the elastic connector is pushed, the resistance value continues to decrease for a while, but then the resistance value increases. This is considered to be because the orientation of the conductive particles constituting the conductive path is disturbed due to the conductive path being crushed and widened. When the pressing is continued, the resistance value decreases again after the increase in the resistance value reaches a peak. The reason why the resistance value decreases is considered to be that the conductive path is shortened by shortening the distance between the connection objects, and the conductivity that exceeds the influence of disorder of the orientation of the conductive particles is obtained. In sample 6, the range in which the resistance value increases during the pressing process is long and the decrease in resistance value is not stable, the compression rate in the applicable range is small, and it is applied to the case where the length variation between connected objects is large. I find it difficult.

  Next, in the sample 5 having two electrode portions having the same height, the resistance value continues to decrease for a while after the elastic connector is pushed, but the resistance value increases after a certain amount of compression as in the case of the sample 6. The increase in the resistance value is larger than that of the sample 6 because the two electrode portions having the same height are present. Thereafter, the resistance value decreases, but it can be seen that, as in the case of Sample 6, the range in which the resistance value increases is long, and it is difficult to apply to the case where the length variation between the connection objects is large.

  On the other hand, in the sample 1 having two electrode parts having different heights, the first electrode part is first pressed and the resistance value is lowered. However, when the elastic connector starts to be pushed, the way of decreasing gradually becomes 0.3 mm. It becomes. At this time, since the connection object comes into contact with the short second electrode portion, the resistance value further decreases. Furthermore, when the pressure is continued, the resistance value is slightly increased, but the extreme increase in the resistance value is suppressed, and as a result, the resistance value is generally decreased from the start to the end of pressing the elastic connector. It has become.

  This is because the conductive particles forming the conductive path of the tall first electrode part by pressing cause disorder in the orientation, and an increase in the resistance value is observed, but the short second electrode part of the conductive particle of the conductive particle Since the resistance value decreases without disturbing the orientation, it is considered that a large increase in resistance value is not observed as a result. In this sample 1, the resistance value is slightly increased when the compressibility with respect to the first conductive path is about 54%, but the pressing load when the compressibility is about 61% is 3N or less, and the resistance value at that time is also 0. .15Ω or less, and both the pressing load and the resistance value were in a preferable range.

  Samples 2 to 4 having two electrode portions having different heights have substantially the same results as those of sample 1 as shown in FIGS.

  The above embodiment is an exemplification, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, one electrode can be formed not only by two or three electrode portions but also by more than that. Further, although the conductive path of the first electrode part and the conductive path of the second electrode part have the same diameter, they may have different diameters.

10, 20, 30a, 30b, 30c Elastic connector 11, 11a, 11b Conductive path 12, 12a, 12b Protective coating 13 Electrode part 13a First electrode part a1, a2 (first electrode part) end face 13b Second electrode part b1 , B2 (second electrode part) end face 13c third electrode part c1, c2 (third electrode part) end face 14 connecting part 15 base part 16 insulating part 17 metal part Fa one connection object F1 one connection face Fb Another connection object F2 One connection surface R Elastic connector (for comparison)

Claims (13)

In the elastic connector having a plurality of electrode portions that conductively connect the first connection object and the second connection object,
In the plurality of electrode portions, any one of the electrode portions has conductive particles connected in a daisy chain, one end surface that contacts the first connection object, and the other that contacts the second connection object. And a protective coating made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that protects the side surface of the conductive path.
The plurality of electrode portions are formed between the first connection object and the second connection object while being formed so that the height between the both end faces is different between one electrode part and another electrode part. The one electrode part and the other electrode part are arranged such that the compression ratio between the both end faces increases as the electrode part with a higher height between the both end faces increases. And elastic connector.
Arranged so that the height between the both end faces is the same between the one electrode part and the other electrode part in a state of being sandwiched between the first connection object and the second connection object The elastic connector according to claim 1.
The elastic connector according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting portion made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that connects the plurality of electrode portions between the plurality of electrode portions.
The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a base portion made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body protruding from the electrode portion in a side surface direction of the electrode portion.
The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of electrode portions are formed such that end surfaces located on one side thereof are flush with each other.
The elastic connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode portions are two.
Among the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions, the height between the both end faces of the conductive path is 0.5 to The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the elastic connector is four times as long.
Among the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions, the height of the two conductive paths having the most different heights is 30% to 90% lower than the higher one. The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The elastic connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive paths forming the plurality of electrode portions have the same diameter.
The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the insulating rubber-like elastic body has an A hardness of 20 to 30.
The elastic connector according to claim 3, wherein the protective coating on the one end face side of the plurality of electrode portions protrudes in the conductive direction of the conductive path from the connecting portion.
The elastic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a metal portion is formed on one end face of the plurality of electrode portions.
In the conductive connection method of conductively connecting the first connection object and the second connection object by an elastic connector having a plurality of electrode portions,
In the plurality of electrode portions, any one of the electrode portions has conductive particles connected in a daisy chain, one end surface that contacts the first connection object, and the other that contacts the second connection object. And an electrode part having a height between the end faces and the other electrode part having a conductive path having an end face and a protective coating made of an insulating rubber-like elastic body that protects the side face of the conductive path. And are formed differently,
A conductive connection method using an elastic connector, wherein the plurality of electrode portions contact the first connection object or the second connection object in a stepwise manner.

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