JPH11214094A - Connector system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable connection of stacked substrates with a narrow pitch by providing a wiring pattern for electrically connecting a first and a second surfaces of a resin housing at predetermined positions via the inner surfaces of through-holes. SOLUTION: A first and a second connector pieces 10, 20 have a resin housing, and the resin housing is formed with plural through-holes 12, 22, passing from a top surface to the opposite surface like a grid. Plating is performed on the inner surfaces of the through-holes 12, 22 and the surface of the resin housing so as to form a desirable conductive pattern. Bumps 14, 24 provided in one surface of the connector pieces 10, 20 are connected to bumps 16, 26 provided in the other surface thereof via the inner surfaces of the through-holes 12, 22. The bumps 14, 24 are connected electrically to a circuit pattern of substrates 1, 2 at the predetermined positions through soldering or the like. The bumps 16, 26 are connected to each other through a conductive rubber member 30. With this structure, the circuit pattern provided in the substrates 1, 2 are connected to each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a connector system for connecting stacked boards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the improvement and diversification of functions of various electric and electronic devices, the configuration of electronic circuits incorporated and used in these devices has become complicated. For this reason, the number of cases in which circuit elements arranged on a plurality of substrates are connected to each other to achieve desired functions is increasing. In this case, in order to prevent an increase in an occupied area and / or an occupied space inside the electric / electronic device, a plurality of substrates are arranged so as to be stacked on each other. The connection between the substrates is generally realized using a pair of connectors (connector pieces). In the specification of the present application, such an arrangement state of the substrates is referred to as a “stacking state”, and the substrates arranged as such are referred to as a “stacked substrate”.

The above-mentioned connector can be provided, for example, at the edge of each board in a stacking state. Specifically, for example, a female connector (socket) having a plurality of metal contact pieces press-fitted into a resin housing is attached to an edge portion of each substrate, and has a plurality of metal pins pressed into the resin housing. By inserting and fitting the male connector, connection between wirings provided on a plurality of boards in a stacking state is realized.

However, in the configuration in which the connectors are provided at the ends of the respective boards as described above, the connectors protrude from the stacked boards, and wirings for connecting the connectors are located outside the board portions. Become. For this reason, when actually installed inside an electric / electronic device, the occupied area and occupied space increase, which hinders miniaturization of the device. Or the degree of freedom may be reduced. Furthermore, in connection with the formation of a wiring pattern on the board, the length of wiring connecting each circuit element on the board to the connector at the end of the board is increased, the wiring pattern is complicated, and the parasitics associated with them are increased. Such as the formation of capacitance and the occurrence of signal delay,
Undesirable effects can occur.

[0005] One method for overcoming such problems is as follows.
As schematically shown in FIG. 1, 2 is in a stacking state.
One or a plurality of connector pieces 4 and 5 are arranged on opposing surfaces of the substrates 1 and 2 (in FIG. 1,
Two connector pieces 4 and 5 are arranged for each of the boards 1 and 2), and by fitting these connector pieces 4 and 5, the electrical connection between the boards 1 and 2 is established. There is a configuration to get.

In the connector pieces 4 and 5 included in the configuration as shown in FIG. 1, generally, one of the connector pieces 4 and 5 is a female connector having a plurality of contact pieces pressed into a resin housing, and the other. Is a male connector having a plurality of pins pressed into a resin housing. Then, electrical connection is achieved by inserting and fitting the pins of the male connector into the female connector to make the pins and the contact pieces mechanically contact.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to mount the connector piece 4 directly below the circuit element (for example, CPU) 3 arranged on the other surface of the substrate 1.
Wiring between the circuit element (CPU) 3 and the connector piece 4 can be simplified. In addition, the problem of an increase in the occupied area / occupied space due to the protrusion of the connector from the boards 1 and 2 is also overcome.

[0008]

However, the configuration (arrangement) of the connector shown in FIG. 1 has a problem in that there is a limit to the reduction of the external dimensions, and a sufficient miniaturization cannot be achieved. The reason will be described below.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view schematically showing a contact portion of a female connector which can be typically used in the configuration of FIG. Specifically, an L-shaped (gull-wing) contact piece 7 is press-fitted into the resin housing 6 to form a contact portion. The portion 7a of the contact piece 7 located outside the resin housing 6 is used as a pad for obtaining connection with a wiring pattern on the substrate. On the other hand, a portion 7b of the contact piece 7 located inside the resin housing 6 is used for ensuring contact with the pin of the male connector to be inserted.

In such a configuration, in order to secure a reliable connection between the contact piece 7 and the inserted pin,
It is necessary to make the length of the contact piece 7 along the thickness direction (pin insertion direction) of the resin housing sufficiently long to secure an appropriate spring length. Therefore, the thickness of the connector is inevitably increased.

On the other hand, since the contact piece 7 has a gull-wing shape and a part 7a thereof is used for connection with a wiring pattern on a substrate, there is a limit in narrowing the interval (contact pitch) between adjacent contacts. is there. Therefore, even when the contact pieces are arranged in a grid to realize the connection at another point, there is a limit to the miniaturization of the connector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector system capable of connecting stacked boards at a narrower pitch.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A connector system according to the present invention includes first and second connector pieces, and the first and second connector pieces disposed between the first and second connector pieces. And a conductive member for electrically connecting between them. The conductive member is an anisotropic conductive member that realizes electrical conduction only in the thickness direction. Each of the first and second connector pieces has a resin housing in which one or more through holes penetrating from the first surface to the second surface are formed. A wiring pattern is provided for electrically connecting a predetermined location on the first surface and a predetermined location on the second surface of the resin housing via an inner surface of the through hole. The above object is achieved by the above.

Preferably, the wiring pattern is an MID
It is a MID pattern formed by technology.

[0015] The MID pattern may be further provided so as to cover at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the resin housing, and may provide a shielding function.

In one embodiment, the anisotropic conductive member includes an insulating sheet, and a plurality of metal wires or metal fibers added to the inside of the insulating sheet so as to extend in a thickness direction of the insulating sheet. The electrical conduction state is realized only in the thickness direction of the insulating sheet by the plurality of thin metal wires or metal fibers.

Preferably, the first and second connector pieces are connected to the first and second connector pieces while the conductive member is placed between the first and second connector pieces. It has a locking mechanism for bringing the member into contact with a predetermined contact pressure.

In one embodiment, in each of the first and second connector pieces, the predetermined portion on at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the resin housing is formed in a bump shape. Have been.

In the resin housing in each of the first and second connector pieces, a plurality of the through holes may be provided in a lattice shape.

[0020]

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing one configuration example of the connector system 100 of the present invention.
1 is a schematic sectional view of the connector system 100.
FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a process of connecting the boards stacked by the connector system 100.

In the connector system 100, a first connector piece 10 arranged on the first substrate 1 and a second connector piece 20 arranged on the second substrate 2
Electrical connection between the substrates 1 and 2 is realized by connecting via the conductive rubber member 30 which is an anisotropic conductive member. For example, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, first and second connector pieces 10 and 2 are provided on substrates 1 and 2.
After the respective 0s are arranged, the conductive rubber member 30 is placed in the resin housing of the first connector piece 10, and the first connector piece 10 is arranged thereon so as to cover the second connector piece 20, Electrical connection between the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 via the conductive rubber member 30 is realized.

First, the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 included in the connector system 100 of the present invention will be described below.

Each of the first connector piece 10 and the second connector piece 20 has a resin housing formed of a material such as LCP or polyimide, and the resin housing penetrates from the upper surface to the opposite surface. A plurality of through holes 12 and 22 are provided in a grid pattern. The molding of the resin housing into a desired shape and the formation of the through holes 12 and 22 can be performed by a process generally used in the resin molding technology field. Specifically, the first connector piece 10 and the second connector piece 20 having desired shapes can be formed by, for example, a normal injection molding process.

The number of through holes 12 and 22 provided in the resin housing and the arrangement pattern thereof are not limited to specific values and patterns. Modifications can be made as appropriate so as to be most appropriate according to the intended use.

A desired conductive pattern is formed on the inner surfaces of the through holes 12 and 22 and on the surface of the resin housing by MID (Molded Interconnection Device) technology, which is a plating process on the resin surface (in the specification of the present application). , Such a conductive pattern formed by the MID technique is referred to as “MID pattern”).

The MID pattern is formed by connecting the bumps 14 and 24 provided on one surface of the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 and the bumps 16 and 26 provided on the other surface with through holes. It is provided to connect through the inner surfaces of 12 and 22. Bumps 14 and 24
Are electrically connected to predetermined portions of a circuit pattern provided on the surfaces of the substrates 1 and 2 by, for example, soldering. On the other hand, the bumps 16 and 26 are connected to each other via a conductive rubber member 30 as described later. As a result, the circuit pattern provided on the substrate 1 has the first connector piece 10 (the bump 14, the through hole 1).
2, the MID pattern connecting the bump 16), the conductive rubber member 30, and the second connector piece 20 (the bump 2
6, MI for connecting through hole 22 and bump 24
D pattern) is connected to a circuit pattern provided on the substrate 2.

FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically illustrating the vicinity of an opening of a certain through hole 12 on the surface of the connector piece (resin housing). As illustrated, the MID pattern 11 is formed continuously from the inner surface of the through hole 12 to the outer peripheral portion of the opening of the through hole 12.

The bumps 14 and 24 are
And 22 are provided in a lattice shape corresponding to the arrangement. These bumps 14 and 24 (more precisely, bumps 14 and 24
When connecting the MID pattern provided on the substrate 1 and the circuit pattern on the substrates 1 and 2, an appropriate amount of solder is applied to each of the bumps 14 and 24 by using, for example, a general BGA (ball grid array) technique. Can be supplied to

In order to surely form the MID pattern on the inner surface of the through hole of the resin housing by the MID process, the diameter of the through hole should be about 0.2 mm or more, and the aspect ratio of the resin housing should be 5 or more. (That is, the thickness of the resin housing is desirably set to a value that is at least five times the diameter of the through hole formed therein).

Next, the conductive rubber member (anisotropic conductive member) 30 included in the connector system 100 of the present invention will be described below.

The conductive rubber member 30 is configured to ensure electrical conduction only in the thickness direction of the insulating sheet. Specifically, for example, it may be an anisotropic conductive sheet in which metal fibers or fine metal wires are arranged in a thickness direction of an insulating sheet (for example, a silicone rubber sheet).

FIGS. 6A and 6B show the conductive rubber member 3.
As an example, an anisotropic conductive sheet (conductive rubber member) 3 in which thin metal wires 34 are arranged at regular intervals (for example, at intervals of 0.25 mm) on a silicone rubber sheet 32.
0 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing 0. The thin metal wire 34 is, for example, a brass wire having a diameter of about 30 μm and having a surface and an end face plated with gold having a thickness of about 1 μm.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a silicone rubber sheet 36 as another example of the conductive rubber member 30.
FIG. 1 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing an anisotropic conductive sheet (conductive rubber member) 30 in which metal fibers 38 are arranged. The metal fiber 38 has, for example, a diameter of about 30 μm with a gold plating of about 1 μm on the surface and the end face.
Brass wire.

These anisotropic conductive sheets are supplied, for example, by Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd. under the trade name of GB-Matrix type or MAF type.

In such an anisotropic conductive sheet (conductive rubber member) 30, conductivity in the thickness direction of the sheet is ensured by the thin metal wires or metal fibers contained in the insulating sheet. However, in the direction parallel to the surface of the sheet, no electricity is supplied because the thin metal wires or the metal fibers are insulated.

The ends of the fine metal wires or metal fibers slightly protrude from the surface of the insulating sheet, and are attached to the anisotropic conductive sheet (conductive rubber member) 30 by the first and second connector pieces 10 and 10 described above. When the bumps 16 and 26 are pressed, the protruding ends of the thin metal wires or metal fibers are electrically connected to the MID patterns formed on the bumps 16 and 26. FIG. 8 shows a thin metal wire 32 protruding from the surface of the insulating sheet 32 of the anisotropic conductive sheet (conductive rubber member) 30 and the MID pattern 11 provided near the through hole 12 of the connector piece. The state of the connection between is schematically shown. The interval between the protruding portions of the fine metal wires 32 projecting from the surface of the insulating sheet 32 is generally sufficiently smaller than the arrangement interval (that is, contact pitch) of the through holes 12 (bumps 16 and 26). There is no risk that the MID patterns for the holes 12 (bumps 16 and 26) will be short-circuited.

With the above configuration, in the connector system 100 of the present invention, the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 (the substrates 1 and 2) can be used without using a contact piece or a pin as in the related art. ) Can be ensured. In the configuration using the conventional contact piece, it is necessary to make the spring length of the contact piece sufficiently long in order to ensure a sufficient fitting strength between the contact piece and the pin. The thickness of the connector system can be reduced because there is no need. Further, the contact pitch (that is, the arrangement interval of the through holes or the bumps) can be reduced as compared with the conventional configuration using the gull-wing-shaped contact piece.

In order to ensure the electrical connection between the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 and the conductive rubber member 30, the resin housing of the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 is required. , It is preferable to have a locking mechanism. For example, a projection of a predetermined shape (for example, a hook-like projection) is provided on the housing of the first connector piece 10, while the housing of the second connector piece 20 is adapted to engage with the projection. It is possible to provide a configuration in which both are fitted by providing a concave portion. By adopting such a locking mechanism, the conductive rubber member 30 is formed by the pressure (contact pressure) accompanying the locking.
The ends of the thin metal wires or metal fibers protruding from the surface of the MID pattern and the MID patterns formed on the bumps 16 and 26 are securely connected.

The above-described locking mechanism may be configured so that the wiping operation is realized when the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 come into contact with the conductive rubber member 3. Performing the wiping operation removes dirt on the contact surface and enables a more reliable electrical connection to be achieved.

Further, as described above, if the vicinity of the through holes 12 and 22 of the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 is formed in a bump shape, the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 and the conductive rubber The actual connection area therebetween is reduced as compared with the case where the surface of the member 30 is in full contact. As a result, the contact pressure substantially increases, so that a sufficient electrical connection can be ensured with a smaller contact force.

Since the MID pattern is formed by plating the resin surface, a desired pattern can be easily formed. Therefore, a connection pattern can be formed more easily than a conventional connector which requires a step of press-fitting a contact piece and a pin into a resin housing.
Further, in the conventional configuration in which the contact piece and the pin are fixed by being pressed into the resin housing of the connector piece,
Although it is necessary to ensure sufficient press-fitting strength, such consideration is not required in the present invention, and the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the resin housing is improved.

Further, the MID pattern is formed in the through holes 12 and 22 of the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20.
The shielding effect can be obtained by forming the connector pieces 10 and 20 not only in the vicinity of the bumps but also in a wider range on the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the housing of the connector pieces 10 and 20.
It is easy to form the MID pattern so as to have a shape suitable for obtaining such a shielding effect.

The conductive rubber member inserted between the first and second connector pieces 10 and 20 is not limited to the one described with reference to FIG. 6 or FIG. . Any other anisotropic conductive member can be used as long as it is an anisotropic conductive member capable of ensuring only an electrical conduction state in the thickness direction.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a connector system capable of connecting stacked substrates at a narrower contact pitch without using a conventional contact piece. Is achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic arrangement of a connector piece used for connecting stacked boards.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view schematically showing a contact portion of a conventional female connector that can be typically used in the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing one configuration example of the connector system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the connector system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a connection process between boards by the connector system of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a conductive rubber member included in the connector system of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a top view and a cross-sectional view showing another example of the conductive rubber member included in the connector system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a connection state between a conductive rubber member and a connector piece in the connector system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically depicting the vicinity of an opening of a certain through hole on the surface of a connector piece (resin housing).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Substrate 3 Circuit element (CPU) 4 Connector piece 5 Connector piece 6 Resin housing 7 Contact piece 10 First connector piece 11 MID pattern 12 Through hole 14 Bump 16 Bump 20 Second connector piece 22 Through hole 24 Bump 26 Bump 30 Conductive rubber member 32 Insulating sheet 34 Fine metal wire 36 Insulating sheet 38 Metal fiber 100 Connector system

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A first and a second connector piece, and a conductive member disposed between the first and the second connector pieces for electrically connecting the first and the second connector pieces. Wherein the conductive member is an anisotropic conductive member realizing an electrical conduction state only in the thickness direction thereof, and each of the first and second connector pieces is A resin housing in which at least one through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface is formed, wherein the resin housing has a predetermined portion on the first surface of the resin housing; A connector system provided with a wiring pattern for electrically connecting a predetermined location on the second surface via an inner surface of the through hole. 2. The connector system according to claim 1, wherein said wiring pattern is an MID pattern formed by MID technology. 3. The connector system according to claim 2, wherein the MID pattern is provided so as to cover at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the resin housing, and provides a shielding function. 4. The anisotropic conductive member is configured to include an insulating sheet and a plurality of fine metal wires or metal fibers added inside the insulating sheet so as to extend in a thickness direction of the insulating sheet. 2. The connector system according to claim 1, wherein an electrical conduction state is realized only in a thickness direction of the insulating sheet by the plurality of thin metal wires or metal fibers. 3. 5. The first and second connector pieces,
A locking mechanism for bringing the first and second connector pieces and the conductive member into contact with a predetermined contact pressure with the conductive member placed between the first and second connector pieces; The connector system of claim 1, wherein 6. In each of the first and second connector pieces, the predetermined portion on at least one of the first surface and the second surface of the resin housing is formed in a bump shape. The connector system according to claim 1. 7. The connector system according to claim 1, wherein in the resin housing in each of the first and second connector pieces, a plurality of the through holes are provided in a grid pattern.