JP2023173482A - Pressure-welded electric connector, manufacturing method thereof, and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pressure-welded electric connector capable of guiding a position of an electrode terminal of an electronic component to be pressure-welded, an electronic apparatus comprising the pressure-welded electric connector, and a manufacturing method of the pressure-welded electric connector.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a pressure-welded electric connector (1) comprising: a columnar substrate (2) formed from insulative foam elastomer; an insulative rubber sheet (3) covering a part of a side face of the columnar substrate; and a plurality of conductive filaments (4) disposed at any pitch in a direction crossing a height direction Z of the columnar substrate on a surface of the insulative rubber sheet. The columnar substrate is shaped by chamfering one of sides of a square pole and providing a tapered surface (2W), and the insulative rubber sheet covers at least the tapered surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a press-fit type electrical connector having an insulating foamed elastomer, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device.

Conventionally, pressure contact type electrical connectors have been used to connect electronic circuit boards. The electrical connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an insulating foamed elastomer formed into a columnar shape with a substantially U-shaped cross section, and an insulating rubber sheet with a substantially U-shaped cross-section that covers a part of the circumferential surface of the insulating foamed elastomer. and a plurality of conductive fine wires provided in a substantially U-shape on the surface of the insulating rubber sheet and arranged at substantially equal pitches from one end surface direction to the other end surface direction of the insulating foam elastomer, the insulating foam elastomer Both end faces of the insulating foamed elastomer are formed as insulating exposed surfaces, and a highly hard insulating protective rubber sheet is provided in an exposed state on the remainder of the circumferential surface of the insulating foamed elastomer.

Patent No. 3318278

The main use of conventional pressure-contact electrical connectors was to connect two electronic components (electronic circuit boards, etc.) fixed by a housing or holder member, so it is possible to connect them near these electronic components. Type electrical connector was fixed. In this case, the relative positioning of the electrode terminal of the electronic component and the thin conductive wire of the press-contact type electrical connector is carried out by a housing or a holder member that fixes them. However, the applications required for pressure-contact type electrical connectors have expanded in recent years, and in electronic devices where one electronic component is fixed to a housing or holder, and the other electronic component is removable, these two types of electrical connectors are becoming increasingly popular. There is a need to connect electronic components using pressure contact type electrical connectors.

However, the conventional press-contact type electrical connector as disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not have a structural mechanism that suppresses displacement of the connected electrode terminals. In addition, when using conventional leaf springs that can suppress the displacement of the electrode terminals that are attached and detached, the load required for connection is large, which causes problems such as peeling off of the plating on the surface of the electrode terminals that are attached and detached. Ta.

The present invention provides a press-contact type electrical connector capable of guiding the position of an electrode terminal of an electronic component to be press-contacted, an electronic device equipped with this press-contact type electrical connector, and a manufacturing method of this press-contact type electrical connector. .

[1] A columnar base formed of an insulating foamed elastomer, an insulating rubber sheet covering a part of the side surface of the columnar base, and a surface of the insulating rubber sheet intersecting the height direction of the columnar base. a plurality of thin conductive wires arranged at arbitrary pitches in a direction to A pressure contact type electrical connector, wherein the rubber sheet covers at least the tapered surface.
[2] Among the plurality of side surfaces that the columnar substrate has, the largest side surface is an exposed surface, and the exposed surface is provided with a groove-shaped recess, and the contour of at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the columnar substrate is In the pressure contact type electrical connector according to [1], a notch corresponding to the recess is formed.
[3] The pressure contact type electrical connector according to [1] or [2], wherein the conductive thin wire is a brass wire or a silver wire.
[4] An electronic device comprising the pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the tapered surface is covered by pressure contacting an electrode terminal toward the tapered surface. An electronic device formed so that the conductive thin wire provided on the surface of the insulating rubber sheet and the electrode terminal are electrically connected.
[5] A method for manufacturing the pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising:
Prepare an intermediate rubber sheet in which a plurality of conductive thin wires are arranged parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet, and place the surface of the intermediate rubber sheet downward toward the bottom of the molding space of the lower mold. The intermediate rubber sheet is placed along the bottom surface by pushing the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet with a push die, and an elastomer material is installed on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet, and molded into the lower mold for molding. forming the columnar base by clamping an upper mold and foaming and curing the elastomer material, the bottom surface of the molding space being provided with an inclined surface corresponding to the tapered surface. , a method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector.
[6] A method for manufacturing the pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising:
By preparing an intermediate rubber sheet in which a plurality of conductive thin wires are arranged parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet, and pressing the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet against a bending die for molding, the intermediate rubber sheet is The sheet is bent to curve toward the back side, and the intermediate rubber sheet is installed with the surface facing downward toward the bottom of the molding space of the lower mold, the intermediate rubber sheet is aligned along the bottom surface, and the intermediate rubber sheet is placed along the bottom surface of the intermediate rubber sheet. forming the columnar substrate by placing an elastomer material on the back surface of the rubber sheet, clamping an upper molding mold to the lower molding mold, and foaming and curing the elastomer material; A method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector, wherein the bottom surface of the molding space is provided with a slope corresponding to the tapered surface.
[7] A convex portion is formed on a surface of the upper mold that faces the elastomer material, and the convex portion forms a recess on the surface of the columnar base on the upper mold side. , the method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector according to [5].
[8] A convex portion is formed on a surface of the upper mold that faces the elastomer material, and the convex portion forms a recess on the surface of the columnar base on the upper mold side. , the method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector according to [6].

In the press-contact type electrical connector of the present invention, the position of the electrode terminal of the press-contacted electronic component can be guided along the tapered surface on which the conductive thin wire is arranged. That is, when an electrode terminal of an electronic component is pressed against a press-contact type electrical connector fixed to a housing or a holder member of an electronic device, the electrode terminal is guided from the tip of the tapered surface toward the root. If the base of the tapered surface is provided with a contact member derived from the casing or holder, the electrode terminal can be fixed between the contact part and the base of the taper surface, and displacement thereof can be suppressed. At this time, the insulating foamed elastomer included in the press-contact type electrical connector functions as a soft elastic material, thereby preventing damage to the surface of the electrode terminal.
According to the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the above-mentioned excellent pressure contact type electrical connector can be easily manufactured.

1 is a perspective view of a pressure contact type electrical connector 1 which is an example of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the outline of the upper bottom surface 2p of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. FIG. The broken line in the figure is an imaginary line indicating that the outline can be approximated to a rectangle. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the outline of the upper bottom surface 2p of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. FIG. This shows that it is possible to understand contours by breaking them down into multiple sides. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the outline of the upper bottom surface 2p of a modification of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing how an electrode terminal E is brought into contact with a press-contact type electrical connector 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which an electrode terminal E is pressure-contacted to a tapered surface 2W of a pressure-contact type electrical connector 1 and held between it and another member 100. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one step of a method for manufacturing a press-contact type electrical connector. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one step of a method for manufacturing a press-contact type electrical connector. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one step of a method for manufacturing a press-contact type electrical connector. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one step of a method for manufacturing a press-contact type electrical connector. 3 is a photograph taken of the top surface of the pressure contact type electrical connector manufactured in Example 1. 3 is a photograph taken of the top surface of the pressure contact type electrical connector manufactured in Example 2. 3 is a graph showing compressive load characteristics of pressure contact type electrical connectors manufactured in Examples 1 and 2.

≪Impact type electrical connector≫
A first aspect of the present invention provides a columnar base formed of an insulating foamed elastomer, an insulating rubber sheet covering a part of the side surface (periphery) of the columnar base, and a surface of the insulating rubber sheet, The present invention is a press-contact type electrical connector comprising a plurality of thin conductive wires arranged at arbitrary pitches in a direction intersecting the height direction of the columnar base.
Hereinafter, embodiments of this aspect will be described in detail with illustrations. Note that the dimensions and areas of each member in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions for convenience of explanation.

The pressure contact type electrical connector 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a columnar base 2 formed of an insulating foamed elastomer in the shape of a column, and an insulating rubber sheet 3 that wraps around and covers a part of the side surface of the columnar base 2. , includes a plurality of thin conductive wires 4 arranged substantially parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet 3. The length direction of each conductive thin wire 4 is aligned in a direction intersecting the height direction (Z direction) of the columnar base 2. That is, the conductive thin wires 4 are arranged at approximately equal pitches from the upper bottom surface (one end surface) 2p to the lower bottom surface (other end surface) 2q of the columnar base 2.

The shape of the columnar base 2 is such that one of the sides of a square prism (the side forming the boundary between the first side surface 2H and the fourth side surface 2K) is chamfered to provide a tapered surface 2W. The tapered surface 2W only needs to be inclined from the fourth side surface 2K toward the first side surface 2H, and may be a flat surface or a curved surface.

The quadrangular prism has two sets of opposing substantially parallel side surfaces (a set of the first side surface 2H and the third side surface 2J, and a set of the second side surface 2I and the fourth side surface 2K), an upper base surface 2p and a lower base surface 2q. have It is preferable that the upper base surface 2p and lower base surface 2q of the quadrangular prism are rectangular. Further, it is preferable that the quadrangular prism is a rectangular parallelepiped.

Among the first to fourth side surfaces that the columnar base 2 has, the area of the first side surface 2H is the smallest, the area of the third side surface 2J opposite to the first side surface 2H is the second smallest, and the area of the fourth side surface 2K is the smallest. It is the third smallest, and the area of the second side surface 2I is the largest. The area of the tapered surface 2W is larger than the first side surface 2H, smaller than the area of the fourth side surface 2K, and approximately equal to the third side surface 2J.
Based on the above-mentioned size relationship, the first side surface 2H side is defined as the front end side, and the third side surface 2J side is defined as the rear end side when the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 and the columnar base body 2 are viewed in the X direction.

The shape of the outline of the upper bottom surface 2p of the columnar base 2 in plan view is based on a substantially rectangular shape as shown by the broken line in FIG. It has a shape in which the corner portion 2v is cut off and a taper 2w is attached.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 3, the contour shape of the upper base surface 2p in a plan view includes a first side 2h, a second side 2i, a third side 2j, a fourth side 2k, and a fifth side. 2l, which are arranged in an order that can be written with one stroke, and the ends of each side are connected to each other. Further, the first side 2h and the third side 2j face each other and are substantially parallel, and the first side 2h is shorter than the third side 2j. The second side 2i and the fourth side 2k face each other and are substantially parallel, and the second side 2i is longer than the fourth side 2k. Furthermore, the fifth side 2l connecting the end of the fourth side 2k and the end of the first side 2h is non-parallel to any of the other four sides, and is not parallel to the first side 2h and the fourth side 2k. They intersect diagonally at an angle of about 30 to 60 degrees, forming a taper 2w.

The contour shape of the upper base surface 2p in a plan view is asymmetrical with respect to a perpendicular line that bisects the long sides of the substantially rectangular shape (one long side 2s or the other long side may be used). In other words, the contour shape is asymmetrical with respect to a perpendicular line that bisects the second side 2i, and is also asymmetrical with respect to a perpendicular line that bisects the third side 2j. Similarly, the remaining three sides are asymmetrical with respect to the perpendicular line that bisects them.

Since the columnar base 2 is made of foamed elastomer, it has elasticity and may naturally undergo some deformation. Therefore, the meanings of terms such as "quadrangular prism", "rectangle", and "side" used in the above explanation are as follows. There is no need to strictly apply a definition based on geometry. For example, one of the sides may be a slightly curved line instead of a straight line, the corners of a square prism or rectangle may be slightly rounded, or the corners of a rectangle may be slightly curved.

In the present embodiment, in the contour shape of the upper base surface 2p in plan view shown in FIG. 3, due to the effect of providing the taper 2w, the corner portion 2u formed by connecting the first side 2h and the second side 2i is There is a tendency to warp upward in the direction away from the fourth side 2k. Therefore, in the contour shape of the upper base surface 2p in a plan view, the corner 2u on the tip side is based on the rear end of the taper 2w (the bending point where the fifth side 2l and the fourth side 2k are connected). It may be curved upward. If it is warped in this way, it may become easier to guide the electrode terminal to be connected.

The contour shape of the upper bottom surface 2p of the present embodiment in a plan view continues in the depth direction of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 (Z direction in FIG. 1), and the contour shape of the XY cross section that crosses the Z direction at an arbitrary point. is basically the same as the contour shape of the upper base surface 2p, and the contour shape of the lower base surface 2q opposite to the upper base surface 2p in plan view is also the same as that of the one end surface 2p.

The overall shape of the press-contact type electrical connector 1 can be seen as a sled or a boat shape that slides on snow, if attention is paid to the shape of the side surface on which the thin conductive wires 4 are arranged.

The upper bottom surface 2p and the lower bottom surface 2q of the columnar base 2 are exposed without being covered with other members and are insulating.

The columnar base 2 has a first side surface 2H extending in the Z direction from the first side 2h, a second side surface 2I extending in the Z direction from the second side 2i, and a third side surface extending in the Z direction from the third side 2j. 2J, a fourth side surface 2K extending in the Z direction from the fourth side 2k, and a fifth side surface (tapered surface 2W) extending in the Z direction from the fifth side 2l. Among these side surfaces, the second side surface 2I having the largest area is exposed without being covered with other members and is insulating. On the other hand, the remaining side surfaces are covered with a continuous insulating rubber sheet 3.

The insulating rubber sheet 3 covers the other side surfaces of the columnar base 2 except for the second side surface 2I having the largest area. That is, one insulating rubber sheet 3 continuously covers the tapered surface 2W, the fourth side surface 2K, and the third side surface 2J on the rear end side in this order from the first side surface 2H on the front end side. The back surface of the insulating rubber sheet 3 is adhered to the columnar base 2, and on the opposite surface, a plurality of thin conductive wires 4 are arranged in parallel rows at approximately equal pitches. Each thin conductive wire extends from the end of the first side surface 2H, through the tapered surface 2W and the fourth side surface 2K, to the end of the third side surface 2J. Further, both ends of each conductive thin wire are located at the boundary between the first side surface 2H and the second side surface 2I, and at the boundary between the third side surface 2J and the second side surface 2I.

The pitch between the conductive thin wires 4 is preferably approximately equal, and the pitch can be, for example, about 10 μm to 200 μm. Further, the number of conductive thin wires arranged in a row is not particularly limited, and can be set to about 5 to 100, for example. Further, the thickness (diameter) of each conductive thin wire may be the same or different, and may be independently set to, for example, about 3 to 500 μm. The thickness of each thin conductive wire is preferably such that a portion of each thin conductive wire can be embedded and fixed in the surface of the insulating rubber sheet 3.

It is preferable that the conductive thin wire 4 is a metal thin wire. The metal type of the thin metal wire is not particularly limited, and examples include silver, brass, gold, gold alloy, platinum, copper, aluminum, aluminum-silicon alloy, nickel silver, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, stainless steel, etc. Can be mentioned. The surface of the thin metal wire may be plated.

The length in the depth Z direction of the insulating rubber sheet 3 on which the conductive thin wires 4 are arranged (corresponding to the height of the columnar substrate 2) is not particularly limited, and may be set appropriately depending on the application, for example, about 5 mm to 100 mm. Can be mentioned.

The thickness of the insulating rubber sheet 3 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, about 50 to 200 μm. When it is 50 μm or more, it is easy to embed the conductive thin wire 4 in the surface of the insulating rubber sheet 3, and when it is 200 μm or less, it is easy to closely fit it along the shape of the side surface of the columnar base 2.

Examples of the rubber material constituting the insulating rubber sheet 3 include chloroprene rubber, silicone rubber, isoprene rubber, butyl rubber, fluororubber, or urethane rubber.

Examples of the rubber material constituting the columnar substrate 2 include butadiene-based copolymers such as butadiene-styrene, butadiene-acrylonitrile, butadiene-isobutylene, chloroprene polymers, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyurethane, or silicone rubber. foamable rubber materials. Among these, silicone rubber is preferred as an elastomer because of its excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, weather resistance, electrical insulation properties, biocompatibility, and the like.

The size of the upper bottom surface 2p of the columnar substrate 2 in plan view is not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate depending on the application. Examples include the following sizes: That is, the length of the first side 2h is 1 to 5 mm, the length of the second side 2i is 5 to 40 mm, the length of the third side 2j is 2 to 10 mm, and the length of the fourth side 2k is Examples include a length of 3 to 30 mm, and a length of the fifth side 2l (taper 2w) of 2 to 10 mm.

A modification of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 includes a structure in which a recess is provided in a part of the exposed second side surface 2I of the side surfaces of the columnar base body 2. In the second side surface 2I, the recess forms a groove that continues continuously from the upper base surface 2p to the lower base surface 2q. The cross section of this groove may be U-shaped, V-shaped, or other shapes.
In the plan view outline of the upper bottom surface 2p of the columnar base 2' having the recessed portion, a notch corresponding to the recessed portion is formed on the second side 2i corresponding to the second side surface 2I. An example of this upper bottom surface 2p is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a semicircular recess 2g is formed in which a portion of the second side 2i is recessed toward the fourth side 2k. When the second side 2i is equally divided into a first region close to the taper 2w and a second region far from the taper 2w, at least a part of the recess 2g is formed in the first region. is preferable, more preferably half or more of the recesses 2g are formed in the first region, and even more preferably all of the recesses 2g are formed in the first region. If the recess 2g is located close to and facing the taper 2w, it is possible to reduce the load when connecting the electrode terminal of an electronic component to the vicinity of the taper surface 2W. damage can be prevented.
Note that the columnar base 2' is the same as the columnar base 2 shown in FIG. 3 except that a recess 2g is formed.

<Effect>
In order to explain an example of the effects of the present invention, FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the upper bottom surface 2p of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. Although unnecessary reference numerals are omitted for explanation, this connector has all the configurations of the press-contact type electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. 1. The electrode terminal E in FIG. 5 is a cylindrical electrode terminal included in the electronic component, and has a shape extending in the depth direction (Z direction) of the paper surface.
When the electrode terminal E to be connected is moved in the X direction toward the connecting portion between the first side surface 2H on the distal end side of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 and the tapered surface 2W, and brought into contact with the distal end side of the tapered surface 2W, The electrode terminal E is guided along the tapered surface 2W, and its advancing direction is controlled toward the rear end side (the fourth side surface 2K side). In this abutting state, an electrical connection is formed between the plurality of conductive thin wires 4 (not shown) arranged in a row on the surface side of the tapered surface 2W or the fourth side surface 2K and the electrode terminal E.

During the above connection, as shown in FIG. 6, if another member 100 is provided facing the fourth side surface 2K and preferably in close contact with the fourth side surface 2K, a surface 100a of the member 100 facing the tapered surface 2W is provided. The electrode terminal E can be held between the tapered surface 2W and the tapered surface 2W.
The member 100 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a member derived from a casing or a holder of an electronic device equipped with the pressure-contact type electrical connector of this embodiment.

In the configuration of FIG. 6, when an operation is applied to press the electrode terminal E in contact with the tapered surface 2W in the X direction, the corner portion 2u of the tip is warped upward in the Y direction due to the stress. At the same time, the elasticity of the columnar base 2 provides stress that suppresses this warpage. This elastic force is useful as a force for holding the electrode terminal E. On the other hand, if the elastic force is too strong, there is a risk of damaging the surface of the electrode terminal E or damaging the thin conductive wire 4.

The above-mentioned risk can be reduced by using the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 including the columnar base 2' having the above-mentioned recess 2g. Referring to FIG. 4, when a stress is exerted on the corner 2u to warp in the Y direction due to pressure contact of the electrode terminal E, the elastic force that counteracts the stress can be reduced by forming the recess 2g. .

Furthermore, if another electrode terminal not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is pressed into contact with a part (for example, the first side surface 2H, third side surface 2J, or fourth side surface 2K) that is away from the tapered surface 2W to which the electrode terminal E is pressed, , the other electrode terminal and the electrode terminal E can be electrically connected to each other via the conductive thin wire 4 of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. The other electrode terminal and the electrode terminal E may be included in separate electronic components, or may be included in the same electronic component.

≪Electronic equipment≫
A second aspect of the present invention is an electronic device including the pressure contact type electrical connector of the first aspect.
In the electronic device of this embodiment, by press-contacting an electrode terminal toward the tapered surface 2W of the provided press-contact type electrical connector 1, the conductive thin wire 4 provided on the surface of the insulating rubber sheet 3 covering the tapered surface 2W It is preferable that the electrode terminal and the electrode terminal be electrically connected to each other. In this structure, the plurality of conductive thin wires and the electrode terminal can be electrically connected by press-contacting the columnar electrode terminal from the tip side to the rear end side of the tapered surface 2W.

≪Manufacturing method of pressure contact type electrical connector≫
A third aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing the pressure contact type electrical connector of the first aspect.
[First embodiment] of the manufacturing method will be described. First, an intermediate rubber sheet 30 is prepared in which a plurality of conductive thin wires 4 are arranged substantially parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet 3. The intermediate rubber sheet can be prepared by a known method described in Patent Document 1 and the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is installed with the surface on which the conductive thin wires (not shown) are arranged facing downward toward the bottom surface 50a of the molding space of the lower mold 50, and the intermediate rubber sheet 30 The intermediate rubber sheet 30 is forced along the bottom surface 50a by pushing the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 with the push die 51. The push-in die 51 has a push-in portion 51a having a shape that reflects the irregularities of the bottom surface so as to fit into the bottom surface of the molding space.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8, the elastomer material 20 is placed on the back side of the intermediate rubber sheet 30, and the molding space of the lower molding mold 50 is covered with the upper molding mold 52 and the mold is clamped. By foaming and curing 20, the columnar substrate 2 is formed.

The mold clamping method, heating and pressurizing conditions during foam curing, material selection for each member, etc. may be appropriately set, and can be carried out with reference to known methods such as Patent Document 1.

A slope 50w corresponding to the tapered surface 2W of the columnar base 2 to be formed is provided on the bottom surface 50a of the molding space of the lower mold 50 used in this embodiment. Thereby, the intermediate rubber sheet 30 pushed in by the pushing die 51 is installed generally along the slope. Further, the elastomer material 20 placed on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 foams, fills the inside of the molding space, and hardens, thereby forming a press-contact type having a columnar base body 2 having a tapered surface 2W curved in the shape of the slope 50w. An electrical connector 1 can be formed.
The pressure-contact type electrical connector taken out from the molding space after the mold clamping is released may be subjected to finishing treatment such as cutting into an appropriate size depending on its use.

[Second embodiment] of the manufacturing method will be described. First, the provision of an intermediate rubber sheet is the same as in the [first embodiment].
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, by pressing the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 opposite to the surface on which the conductive thin wires are arranged against the molding mold 55, the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is Develop a habit of bending. At this time, the rigidity of the plurality of conductive thin wires arranged on the surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 maintains the bending tendency. The region of the molding bending die 55 against which the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is pressed may be provided with irregularities corresponding to the shape of the columnar base 2 .

Subsequently, the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is installed with the surface facing downward toward the bottom surface 50a of the molding space of the lower mold 50, and the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is made to follow the bottom surface 50a as much as possible. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the elastomer material 20 is placed on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30, the upper mold 56 is clamped to the lower mold 50, and the elastomer material 20 is foamed and cured. , forming a columnar substrate 2.

The method of pressing the intermediate rubber sheet 30 against the molding bending die 55 is not particularly limited, and for example, a method of holding and pressing both ends of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 may be mentioned. When using a metal wire (for example, a brass wire) that has high hardness and rigidity among metal wires, it may be difficult to align the intermediate rubber sheet 30 along the bottom surface 50a even if the push die 51 exemplified in the first embodiment is used. be. On the other hand, after the bending pattern is formed using the molding die 55 of this embodiment, it is relatively easy to align the intermediate rubber sheet 30 along the bottom surface 50a.
Note that the mold clamping method, heating and pressurizing conditions during foam curing, selection of materials for each member, etc. may be appropriately set, and can be carried out with reference to known methods such as Patent Document 1.

The bottom surface 50a of the molding space of the lower mold 50 used in this embodiment is provided with an inclined surface 50w corresponding to the tapered surface 2W of the press-contact type electrical connector to be formed. Since it is easy to install the intermediate rubber sheet 30, which has been bent in advance, in a state generally along the slope 50w, the process of pushing it in with the push die 51 may be performed, but it is not necessarily necessary. Thereafter, the elastomer material 20 placed on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 is foamed, fills the molding space, and hardens, thereby creating a press-welded structure having a columnar base 2 having a tapered surface 2W curved in the shape of the slope 50w. type electrical connector 1 can be formed.
The pressure-contact type electrical connector taken out from the molding space after the mold clamping is released may be subjected to finishing treatment such as cutting into an appropriate size depending on its use.

A convex portion 56z is formed on the surface of the upper mold 56 for molding shown in FIG. 10 that faces the elastomer material 20 side. The elastomer material 20 foamed within the molding space expands and hardens while being pressed against the convex portion 56z. Thereby, the recess 2g can be formed on the surface of the columnar base 2 to be formed on the molding upper mold 56 side (the surface corresponding to the second side surface 2I).
The upper mold 56 for molding having the convex portion 56z is not limited to use in the manufacturing method of the second embodiment using the bending mold 55 for molding, but can be used in the manufacturing method of the first embodiment using the pushing mold 51. Good too.

In the above description of the manufacturing method, the terms "lower mold for molding, upper mold for molding," and bottom surface do not have to correspond to the direction of gravity and the vertical relationship at the time of implementation. For example, the lower mold for molding may be placed above the upper mold for molding. In this case, the "bottom surface" of the lower mold may also be referred to as the "top surface."

[Example 1]
The pressure contact type electrical connector 1 schematically shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured by the manufacturing method of the second embodiment using a bending die.
First, similarly to the manufacturing method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a brass wire with a diameter of 40 μm is attached to the surface of an insulating rubber sheet 3 (thickness 100 μm, length 300 mm, width 300 mm) made of silicone rubber manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. An intermediate rubber sheet 30 was obtained in which approximately 500 rubber sheets were arranged at an equal pitch of 100 μm.
Next, using a molding bending die 55 as shown in FIG. 9, the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 was pressed against it to give it a bending tendency to warp toward the back surface. The brass wire bonded to the surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 maintained a bending shape that roughly reflected the shape of the molding die 55.
Next, an intermediate rubber sheet 30 is placed along the bottom surface 50a of a lower mold 50 as shown in FIG. 8, and an elastomer material 20 containing a silicone rubber compound and a foaming agent manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. 30, the upper mold 52 for molding is clamped and heated at 175° C. for 5 minutes under pressure to foam and harden the elastomer material 20, thereby forming the columnar substrate 2. A columnar body was obtained in which the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet 30 was adhered to each side surface of 2 (excluding the second side surface 2I).
Finally, the columnar body was taken out from the mold and the excess portion was cut off to obtain the desired press-contact type electrical connector 1. The length of the manufactured pressure contact type electrical connector 1 in the X direction was 10.9 mm, the width in the Y direction was 3.0 mm, and the height (thickness) in the Z direction was 2.5 mm.
FIG. 11 shows a photograph of the top surface of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 manufactured in Example 1, viewed from above.

The compressive load characteristics of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 manufactured in Example 1 were evaluated as follows.
The second side surface 2I of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 was placed facing downward on a horizontal and flat base, the compression terminal was pressed from above, and the amount of compression displacement and the load required for it were measured.
The measurement was carried out using RTF-1250 manufactured by AND Co., Ltd. as a measuring instrument under the following conditions: maximum compression amount: 1.8 mm, compression speed: 3 mm/min, load cell: 100 N.
First, a compression test was conducted by using a cylindrical body with a diameter of 30 mm as a compression tip, and bringing the bottom surface of the cylindrical body into contact with the boundary between the tapered surface 2W and the fourth side surface 2K of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. The results are shown in FIG. 13 as "compression test 1-1".
Next, a compression test was conducted by using a 5 mm square cube as a compression tip and bringing the bottom surface of the cube into contact with the boundary between the tapered surface 2W and the fourth side surface 2K of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1. The results are shown in FIG. 13 as "compression test 1-2".

[Example 2]
A press-contact type electrical connector 1 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that an upper mold 56 having a convex portion 56z as shown in FIG. 10 was used. The contour shape of the upper bottom surface 2p had a concave portion 2g as shown in FIG. 4, and the length in the X direction, the width in the Y direction, and the height in the Z direction were the same as in Example 1.
FIG. 12 shows a photograph of the top surface of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 manufactured in Example 2 when viewed from above. The photograph shows that the top surface of the manufactured pressure contact type electrical connector 1 has the same shape as the top surface 2p of FIG. 4 in plan view. In the form of the photograph, the corner portion 2u in FIG. 4 is warped in the direction away from the fourth side surface 2K due to the elasticity of the foamed elastomer that constitutes the columnar base 2. However, since the foamed elastomer is soft, a slight load can be applied to the corner 2u in FIG. The original shape is shown in .

The compressive load characteristics of the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 manufactured in Example 2 were measured and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.
The results using a cylindrical body with a diameter of 30 mm as the compression tip are shown in FIG. 13 as "Compression Test 2-1".
Further, the results using a 5 mm square cube as the compression tip are shown in FIG. 13 as "Compression Test 2-2."

From the results of each compression test, it was found that the pressure contact type electrical connector 1 of Example 2 in which the concave portion 2g was provided could obtain a larger amount of displacement with a smaller load.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when a rod-shaped electrode terminal is pressure-connected from the tip side of the manufactured pressure-contact type electrical connector 1 toward the tapered surface 2W, it is guided toward the rear end side along the tapered surface 2W, and is properly connected. It was also confirmed that continuity was established.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Pressure contact type electrical connector, 2... Columnar base, 3... Insulating rubber sheet, 4... Conductive thin wire, 2W... Tapered surface, 2g... Recessed part, 2p... Upper bottom surface, 2q... Lower bottom surface, 2u... Corner part, 2w... Taper, E... Electrode terminal, 20... Elastomer material, 30... Intermediate rubber sheet, 50... Lower mold for molding, 50a... Bottom surface, 50w... Slope, 51... Indentation mold, 52... Upper mold for molding, 55... Bending for molding Mold, 56... Upper mold for molding, 56z... Convex portion, 100... Member

Claims (8)

a columnar base formed of an insulating foamed elastomer;
an insulating rubber sheet covering a part of the side surface of the columnar base;
A plurality of conductive thin wires are arranged on the surface of the insulating rubber sheet at an arbitrary pitch in a direction intersecting the height direction of the columnar base,
The shape of the columnar base is a shape in which one of the sides of a square prism is chamfered to provide a tapered surface, and the insulating rubber sheet covers at least the tapered surface. Among the plurality of side surfaces of the columnar substrate, the largest side surface is an exposed surface, and the exposed surface is provided with a groove-like recess, and in the outline of at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the columnar substrate, the The pressure contact type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a notch corresponding to the recess is formed. The pressure contact type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the conductive thin wire is a brass wire or a silver wire. An electronic device comprising the pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An electronic device formed so that the electrode terminal is electrically connected to the conductive thin wire provided on the surface of the insulating rubber sheet covering the tapered surface by pressing the electrode terminal toward the tapered surface. . A method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
Prepare an intermediate rubber sheet in which multiple conductive thin wires are arranged parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet,
Installing the intermediate rubber sheet with the surface facing downward toward the bottom of the molding space of the lower molding mold, and pushing the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet with a push die to align the intermediate rubber sheet with the bottom surface,
The method includes forming the columnar substrate by placing an elastomer material on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet, clamping an upper molding mold to the lower molding mold, and foaming and curing the elastomer material. ,
A slope corresponding to the tapered surface is provided on the bottom surface of the molding space.
A method of manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector. A method for manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
Prepare an intermediate rubber sheet in which multiple conductive thin wires are arranged parallel to each other at arbitrary pitches on the surface of an insulating rubber sheet,
By pressing the back side of the intermediate rubber sheet against a molding bending die, the intermediate rubber sheet is given a bending tendency to curve toward the back side,
Installing the intermediate rubber sheet with the surface facing downward toward the bottom of the molding space of the lower mold for molding, and aligning the intermediate rubber sheet along the bottom surface,
The method includes forming the columnar substrate by placing an elastomer material on the back surface of the intermediate rubber sheet, clamping an upper molding mold to the lower molding mold, and foaming and curing the elastomer material. ,
A slope corresponding to the tapered surface is provided on the bottom surface of the molding space.
A method of manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector. A convex portion is formed on a surface of the upper mold that faces the elastomer material,
6. The method of manufacturing a pressure contact type electrical connector according to claim 5, further comprising forming a recess on the surface of the columnar base on the molding upper mold side by the projection. A convex portion is formed on a surface of the upper mold that faces the elastomer material,
7. The method of manufacturing a press-contact type electrical connector according to claim 6, comprising forming a concave portion on the surface of the columnar base on the molding upper mold side by the convex portion.

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