KR20230071983A - Method for Connecting Boards for Signal Transmission and Signal Transmission Device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a method for connecting boards for signal transmission and a signal transmission device. The disclosed method comprises the steps of: forming a hole in a metal plate; forming a first groove on the lower surface of the metal plate and forming a second groove on the lower surface of the metal plate around the hole; coupling a signal transmission pin to the upper surface of a first board and coupling, to the upper surface of the first board, a first elastic body electrically spaced apart from the signal transmission pin; coupling a second elastic body to the lower surface of a second board having a hole; stacking and coupling the metal plate to the upper surface of the first board while passing the signal transmission pin through the hole formed in the metal plate; and stacking and coupling the second board to the upper surface of the metal plate. The signal transmission pin passes through the hole of the second board. The first elastic body and the second elastic body are aligned vertically. The disclosed method and device enable boards to which small-sized RF elements are coupled to be easily connected, and can minimize required components, thereby enabling connection of the boards at low cost.

Description

Board connection method and signal transmission device for signal transmission {Method for Connecting Boards for Signal Transmission and Signal Transmission Device}

The present invention relates to a board connection method, and more particularly, to a method for connecting a plurality of boards for signal transmission and a signal transmission device manufactured by the method.

With the introduction of the 5G system, rapid changes are being made to RF devices. In particular, the 5G system uses a millimeter wave band of 20 GHz or higher, and signals in the millimeter wave band have very different characteristics from those of conventional frequency bands. A signal in the millimeter wave band rapidly attenuates with distance and has a characteristic of not passing through even a small obstacle.

Due to the characteristics of the millimeter wave band, a signal in the millimeter wave band must be radiated with high directivity, and an antenna must be designed to have high directivity.

Massive MIMO technology has been introduced in 5G systems for proper radiation of millimeter waves and a higher level of multiplexing. Massive MIMO technology is a technique for realizing spatial multiplexing by using more antennas than conventional MIMO technology. For example, 64 X 64 or more antennas are arranged to transmit signals.

With the introduction of Massive MIMO technology, many antennas are arranged on one board, and board-to-board connections are becoming more important to transmit RF signals generated from RF chips to many antennas. The connection of boards with an array of antennas has become an essential technology for stable signal transmission in 5G systems.

Although connectors for connecting existing boards and boards exist, there was a difficult problem in applying them to small-sized antennas and RF devices. In addition, since a large number of connectors are required to connect boards to boards, there is also a problem in that high manufacturing costs are required when existing connectors for connecting boards are used.

An object of the present invention is to propose a board connection method for signal transmission capable of easily connecting boards coupled with small-sized RF elements and a signal transmission device manufactured by the method.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a board connection method capable of connecting a board at a low cost by minimizing required parts and a signal transmission device manufactured by the method.

According to one aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object, forming a hole in the metal plate; forming a first groove on a lower surface of the metal plate with the hole as a center and forming a second groove on an upper surface of the metal plate; coupling signal transmission pins to an upper surface of a first board and coupling a first elastic body electrically spaced apart from the signal transmission pins to an upper surface of the first board; coupling a second elastic body to a lower surface of a second board in which a hole is formed; stacking and coupling the metal plate to the upper surface of the first board while passing the signal transmission pin through the hole of the metal plate; Stacking and coupling the second board to the upper surface of the metal plate, wherein the signal transmission pin passes through the hole of the second board, and the first elastic body and the second elastic body are vertically aligned. A board connection method for signal transmission is provided.

The first elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the first board, and the second elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the second board.

The first elastic body is accommodated in the first groove and electrically contacts the first groove of the metal plate, and the second elastic body is accommodated in the second groove and electrically contacts the second groove of the metal plate.

The first elastic body and the second elastic body have the same shape.

Each of the first elastic body and the second elastic body includes a circular frame having a hole and a plurality of elastic wings protruding into the hole of the circular frame, and the elastic wings extend upward or downward.

A first end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the first board, and a second end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the second board.

The signal transmission pin passes through holes formed in circular frames of the first elastic body and the second elastic body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a first board coupled to the ground and RF elements; a metal plate formed with a hole and stacked and coupled to the first board; a second board in which ground and RF elements are coupled and holes are formed; and a signal transmission pin having a first end coupled to the first board and having a second end coupled to the second board through a hole of the metal plate and a hole of the second board, wherein the lower part of the metal plate A first groove is formed around the hole on the surface, a second groove is formed around the hole on the upper surface of the metal plate, and an upper surface of the first board is electrically spaced from the signal transmission pin. A signal transmission device is provided in which a first elastic body is coupled, and a second elastic body electrically spaced apart from the signal transmission pin and vertically aligned with the first elastic body is coupled to a lower surface of the second board.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that boards coupled with small-sized RF elements can be easily connected.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage in that it is possible to connect between boards at a low cost by minimizing required parts.

1 is a flowchart illustrating the overall flow of a method for connecting boards to boards for signal transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing an example of a metal plate in which holes are formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing an example in which a first groove is formed around a hole of a lower surface of a metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing an example in which a second groove is formed around a hole of an upper surface of a metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing an example of a first elastic body including a plurality of elastic wings according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view showing an example in which a signal transmission pin and a first elastic body are coupled to a first board according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view showing an example in which a second elastic body is coupled to a second board according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an exploded perspective view before coupling the first board, the metal plate and the second board according to one embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a perspective view of a signal transmission device combining a first board, a metal plate, and a second board according to an embodiment of the present invention;
10 is a cross-sectional view of a signal transmission device by board-to-board connection according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a cross-sectional view of a signal transmission device by board-to-board connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention and its operational advantages and objectives achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the described embodiments. And, in order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same members.

Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that it may further include other components, not excluding other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as “… unit”, “… unit”, “module”, and “block” described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which is hardware, software, or hardware. And it can be implemented as a combination of software.

The present invention relates to a method for connecting a first board and a second board for signal transmission between RF elements formed on a first board, which is a board to be connected, and RF elements formed on a second board.

1 is a flowchart illustrating the overall flow of a method for connecting boards to boards for signal transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , first, a metal plate is prepared and a hole is formed in the metal plate (step 100). The hole may be formed in various ways, and various processes such as punching, drilling, and cutting may be used to form the hole.

2 is a view showing an example of a metal plate in which holes are formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a hole 210 is formed in the central portion of the metal plate. Of course, the hole may be formed at a location other than the central portion. The hole 210 is a hole through which a signal transmission pin to be described later passes. The diameter of the hole 210 is set larger than that of the signal transmission pin so that the signal transmission pin can pass through.

The thickness of the metal plate 200 in which the hole 210 is formed is set based on the separation distance between boards to be connected.

Meanwhile, FIG. 2 shows an example in which one hole 210 is formed, but this is for convenience of explanation, and the number of holes 210 may correspond to the number of RF elements connected through inter-board connections.

For example, when 128 antennas are formed on a board to be connected, 128 holes may be formed in a metal plate.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , after forming a hole in the metal plate, a first groove is formed around the hole 210 on the lower surface of the metal plate, and a second groove is formed around the hole 210 on the upper surface of the metal plate. 2 Grooves are formed (Step 110).

3 is a view showing an example in which a first groove is formed around a hole on a lower surface of a metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a hole on the upper surface of a metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a drawing showing an example in which the second groove is formed around the periphery.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a first groove 300 is formed around the hole 210 with the hole 210 as the center. It is preferable that the first groove 300 and the hole 210 share the same center. The first groove 300 functions as a space for accommodating a first elastic body to be described later.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first groove 300 may be formed by a press method, but is not limited thereto, and various methods may be used to form the first groove 300 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , a second groove 310 is formed on the upper surface of the metal plate 200 . The first groove 300 and the second groove 310 have the same shape and size. The second groove 310 functions as a space for accommodating a second elastic body to be described later.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , after forming the first groove 300 and the second groove 310 on the top and bottom of the metal plate, the first elastic body and the second elastic body are prepared (step 120).

5 is a view showing an example of a first elastic body including a plurality of elastic wings according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first elastic body 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a circular frame 510 having a circular hole formed therein and a plurality of elastic wings 520 protruding into the hole of the circular frame. do.

The circular frame 510 and the plurality of elastic wings 520 may be formed by cutting a circular plate having a thin thickness. The plurality of elastic wings 520 may have a trapezoidal shape having a relatively large width in an area adjacent to the circular frame 510 and a relatively small width in an area far from the circular frame 510 . Of course, the shape of the elastic wing 520 is not limited to a trapezoidal shape.

A plurality of elastic wings 520 are formed to extend in an upward or downward direction. A plurality of elastic wings 520 extend to face the same direction.

Meanwhile, the second elastic body has the same shape and size as the first elastic body.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the first elastic body 500 and the signal transmission pin are coupled to the upper surface of the first board among the connection target boards (step 130).

6 is a view showing an example in which a signal transmission pin and a first elastic body are coupled to a first board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a signal transmission pin 610 is coupled to an upper surface of the first board 600, and a first elastic body 500 is coupled to the first board 600 around the signal transmission pin 610. do. A hole is formed in the center of the first elastic body 500 , and the signal transmission pin 610 passes through the hole formed in the first elastic body 500 . Since the signal transmission pin 610 passes through the hole formed in the central portion of the first elastic body 500, the signal transmission pin 610 and the first elastic body 500 are electrically separated from each other.

A first end of the signal transmission pin 610 is electrically connected to an RF element formed on the first board 600 . For example, the RF element may be a power supply line. For example, the signal transmission pin 610 may be electrically connected to an RF element formed on the first board 600 while being coupled to the first board 600 by an SMT soldering method.

When an RF device connected to the signal transmission pin 610 is a power supply line receiving a power supply signal from an RF chip, a power supply signal is provided to the signal transmission pin 610 . Of course, RF elements connected to the signal transmission pin 610 may vary and are not limited to the power supply line.

Meanwhile, the first elastic body 500 is electrically connected to the ground formed on the first board. The first elastic body 500 may also be coupled to the first board 600 by SMT soldering. As shown in FIG. 6 , the first elastic body 500 is coupled to the first board 600 such that the elastic wing 520 of the first elastic body 500 faces upward.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the second elastic body is coupled to the second board among the connection target boards (step 140).

7 is a view showing an example in which a second elastic body is coupled to a second board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the second elastic body 550 is coupled to the lower surface of the second board 700 . The shape and size of the first elastic body 500 and the second elastic body 550 are the same, and the second elastic body 550 is coupled to a position that can be vertically aligned after the connection between the first board and the second board is completed. .

The second elastic body 550 may also be coupled to the second board 700 through SMT soldering. The second elastic body 550 is coupled to the second board 700 so as to be electrically connected to the ground formed on the second board 700 . The second elastic body 550 is coupled to the second board 700 so that the elastic wings of the second elastic body face downward.

Since both the first elastic body 500 and the second elastic body 550 are connected to the grounds of the first board and the second board, respectively, they have a ground potential electrically.

Meanwhile, although not shown in FIG. 7, a hole through which a signal transmission pin passes is formed in the second board.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the first board 600 to which the first elastic body 500 and the signal transmission pin 610 are coupled, the metal plate 200 and the second board 700 are coupled (step 150).

8 is an exploded perspective view before coupling the first board, the metal plate and the second board according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Referring to FIG. 8 , a metal plate 200 is stacked on a first board 600 and a second board 700 is stacked on the metal plate 200, so that the first board 600 and the second board ( 700) is connected.

The signal transmission pin 610 passes through the hole of the first elastic body, the hole 210 of the metal plate, and the hole of the second board 700 . While coupling between boards is made, the second end of the signal transmission pin 610 is electrically connected to the RF element formed on the second board 700 . For example, the RF element formed on the second board 700 may be an antenna. A feed signal from a feed line of the first board 600 may be transmitted to an antenna of the second board 700 through the signal transmission pin 610 .

Meanwhile, while the metal plate 200 is stacked on the first board 600 , the first elastic body 500 coupled to the first board 600 is accommodated in the first groove 300 of the metal plate 200 . Since the elastic wings 520 of the first elastic body 500 are coupled in an upward direction, the elastic wings 520 of the first elastic body 500 contact the metal plate 200 and the first elastic body 500 and the metal plate 200 are electrically connected. Since the first elastic body 500 is connected to the ground, the metal plate 200 electrically has a ground potential.

As the second board 700 is stacked on the metal plate 200 , the second elastic body 550 coupled to the second board is accommodated in the second groove 310 of the metal plate 200 . Since the elastic wings of the second elastic body 550 are coupled in a downward direction, the elastic wings of the second elastic body 550 contact the metal plate 200 and the second elastic body 550 is electrically connected to the metal plate 200. Connected.

As a result, since the ground of the first board 600, the ground of the metal plate 200, and the ground of the second board 700 are electrically connected, the ground of the first board, the metal plate 200, and the ground of the second board 700 The ground will have a common ground potential. Since the first elastic body 500 and the second elastic body 550 continuously maintain contact with the metal plate 200 using elasticity, it is possible to maintain a stable common ground potential.

After the connection between the first board 600 and the second board 700 is completed, the metal plate 200 provides a ground potential so that a signal can be transmitted through the signal transmission pin 610 . As an electric field is formed from the signal transmission pin 610 toward the metal plate, the RF signal can be transmitted.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, coupling between the metal plate 200, the first board 600 and the second board 700 may be performed in various ways including soldering.

9 is a perspective view of a signal transmission device combining a first board, a metal plate, and a second board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a signal transmission pin 610 protrudes through a hole formed in the second board 700 and is connected to an RF element formed in the second board.

10 is a cross-sectional view of a signal transmission device by board-to-board connection according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10 , a signal transmission pin 610 passes through the hole 210 formed in the metal plate to transmit signals of the RF element of the first board 600 to the RF element of the second board 700 . Since the diameter of the hole 210 is larger than that of the signal transmission pin 610, the remaining area of the hole 210 is filled with air 1000.

11 is a cross-sectional view of a signal transmission device by board-to-board connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the remaining area of the hole 210 may be filled with a dielectric material 1100 . When a specific permittivity is required to meet the required signal transmission characteristics, a dielectric having a corresponding permittivity may be inserted into the hole 210 as in the second embodiment.

The board connection method according to the present invention can maintain a stable coupling with a small number of parts compared to a method using a conventional board-to-board connector, and performs board-to-board coupling at a low cost in a massive MIMO system in which a large number of devices are used. can do.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom.

Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

200: metal plate 210: hole
300: first groove 310: second groove
500: first elastic body 510: circular frame
520: elastic wing 550: second elastic body
600: first board 610: signal transmission pin
700: second board

Claims (14)

forming a hole in the metal plate;
forming a first groove on a lower surface of the metal plate with the hole as a center and forming a second groove on an upper surface of the metal plate;
coupling signal transmission pins to an upper surface of a first board and coupling a first elastic body electrically spaced apart from the signal transmission pins to an upper surface of the first board;
coupling a second elastic body to a lower surface of a second board in which a hole is formed;
stacking and coupling the metal plate to the upper surface of the first board while passing the signal transmission pin through the hole of the metal plate; and
Laminating and bonding the second board to the upper surface of the metal plate,
The signal transmission pin passes through the hole of the second board, and the first elastic body and the second elastic body are vertically aligned.
According to claim 1,
Wherein the first elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the first board, and the second elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the second board.
According to claim 2,
The first elastic body is accommodated in the first groove and electrically contacts the first groove of the metal plate, and the second elastic body is accommodated in the second groove and electrically contacts the second groove of the metal plate. Characterized board connection method.
According to claim 1,
Board connection method, characterized in that the first elastic body and the second elastic body have the same shape.
According to claim 4,
Each of the first elastic body and the second elastic body
A circular frame with holes and
A board connection method comprising a plurality of elastic wings protruding into the hole of the circular frame, wherein the elastic wings extend in an upward or downward direction.
According to claim 1,
A first end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the first board and a second end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the second board.
According to claim 5,
The board connection method, characterized in that the signal transmission pin passes through the hole formed in the circular frame of the first elastic body and the second elastic body.
A first board in which ground and RF elements are coupled;
a metal plate formed with a hole and stacked and coupled to the first board;
a second board in which ground and RF elements are coupled and holes are formed; and
A signal transmission pin having a first end coupled to the first board and having a second end coupled to the second board through a hole of the metal plate and a hole of the second board;
A first groove is formed on the lower surface of the metal plate around the hole, and a second groove is formed on the upper surface of the metal plate around the hole,
A first elastic body electrically spaced from the signal transmission pins is coupled to an upper surface of the first board, and a first elastic body electrically spaced apart from the signal transmission pins and vertically aligned with the first elastic body is coupled to a lower surface of the second board. A signal transmission device characterized in that the second elastic body is coupled.
According to claim 8,
The first elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the first board, and the second elastic body is electrically coupled to the ground of the second board.
According to claim 9,
The first elastic body is accommodated in the first groove and electrically contacts the first groove of the metal plate, and the second elastic body is accommodated in the second groove and electrically contacts the second groove of the metal plate. characterized signal transmission device.
According to claim 8,
The signal transmission device, characterized in that the first elastic body and the second elastic body have the same shape.
According to claim 11,
Each of the first elastic body and the second elastic body
A circular frame with holes and
A signal transmission device comprising a plurality of elastic wings protruding into the hole of the circular frame, wherein the elastic wings extend upward or downward.
According to claim 8,
A first end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the first board and a second end of the signal transmission pin is electrically connected to the RF element of the second board.
According to claim 12,
The board connection method, characterized in that the signal transmission pin passes through the hole formed in the circular frame of the first elastic body and the second elastic body.

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