Patent Application
20160204554
The present invention relates to a connector and a cable with connector, which are used for, e.g., signal transmission between industrial machines.
A conventional connectorized cable is known, which sends/receives signals from/to a device via a connector and transmits the signals through an optical fiber cable (see, e.g., PTL 1).
The conventional connectorized cable (optical transmission device) described in PTL 1 is provided with an optical fiber cable and a connector portion provided at an end of the optical fiber cable. The connector portion has a cylindrical housing, a cable fixing portion for fixing the optical fiber cable, plural pins connected to a device, a resin main body holding the plural pins, an electric circuit board (electric circuit portion) formed of a flexible board, and a light emitting/receiving element.
The electric circuit board is arranged so that the mounting surface thereof is along an axial direction (extending direction) of the plural pins. The plural pins are held in a state that both ends thereof protrude from the main body, so that one end protrudes toward an opening of the housing through which the outside is seen, and the other end protrudes toward the electric circuit board on front and back sides thereof. The other ends of the plural pins are bent so as to sandwich one edge of the electric circuit board from both sides and are soldered to a conductive pattern formed on the electric circuit board.
[PTL 1]
JP-A-6-11630
In the conventional connectorized cable described in PTL 1, since the pins on the housing opening side relative to the main body are arranged at intervals according to the specification of a device to be connected, the other ends of the plural pins protrude with a predetermined distance therebetween in a direction perpendicular to the electric circuit board. Therefore, soldering of the pins to the conductive pattern formed on the electric circuit board needs to be carried out in a state that the other ends of the pins are bent to reduce the distance between the pins, and it is difficult to precisely position the pins onto the corresponding conductive pattern.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a connector and a cable with connector, with which a plurality of pins can easily be positioned at a connection point provided on a mounting surface of a substrate.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention provides a connector comprising: a plurality of pins; a circuit substrate where an electronic component(a) is mounted on a mounting surface; a connection member for electrically connecting the plurality of pins and the circuit substrate; and a housing for accommodating the circuit substrate and the connecting member, wherein the connection member comprises a connection substrate section including a first substrate surface to which one end part of the circuit substrate is connected and a positioning section for positioning the plurality of pins relative to a second substrate surface of the connection substrate section provided on the opposite side of the first substrate surface, and the plurality of pins penetrate through the positioning section and are thereby electrically connected in a state where one end surface of each of the plurality of pins faces the second substrate surface of the connection substrate section.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention also provides a cable with connector comprising: the connector described above, and a cable that comprises an electric wire(s) comprising a conductor connected to a pin among at least some of the plurality of pins and a sheath covering the electric wire(s).
In the connector and the cable with connector of the invention, plural pins can easily be positioned at a connection point provided on a mounting surface of a substrate.
This cable with connector is a cable with small photoelectric composite connector used for, e.g., industrial machines, etc.
Firstly, the configuration of a cable with connector 1 will be described in reference to
The cable with connector 1 is provided with a connector 10 to be connected to the other device 100 and a cable 2 having insulated wires and optical fibers (described later).
The connector 10 is provided with a cylindrical housing 3 which has a housing portion 31 for accommodating electronic components (described later), etc., thereinside, a lead-out portion 32 provided on the lead-out side of the cable 2 relative to the housing portion 31, and a flange portion 33 provided on the opposite side to the lead-out portion 32 relative to the housing portion 31.
The flange portion 33 is formed to protrude from the outer periphery of the housing portion 31 so as to be in contact with the other device 100 in a state that the cable with connector 1 is attached to the other device 100.
The connector 10 is provided with plural (twenty-three in the present embodiment) columnar pins 4 to be connected to the other device 100 (see
In the housing portion 31 of the housing 3, a disc-shaped holding portion 311 for holding the plural pins 4 is provided on one end in the longitudinal direction and a guide portion 312 for guiding the cable 2 (see
The plural pins 4 penetrate through the holding portion 311 in the thickness direction thereof (in the longitudinal direction of the housing portion 31) so as to protrude, on one end, toward the inside of the housing portion 31 without being bent and to protrude, on the other end, toward the flange portion 33 (see
An insertion hole 4a for insertion and electrical connection of an insulated wire 23 is formed on each pin 4 at the end protruding inside the housing portion 31. In
The circuit substrate 5 is composed of an electric circuit board 51 mounting electric circuit components 11 and 12 as electronic components and an optical circuit board 52 mounting optical circuit components 13 and 14 also as electronic components. Then, the circuit substrate 5 is accommodated in the housing portion 31 so that a mounting surface 51a of the electric circuit board 51 mounting the electric circuit components 11 and 12 is parallel to a mounting surface 52a of the optical circuit board 52 mounting the optical circuit components 13 and 14.
In the present embodiment, the electric circuit component 11 is, e.g., a resistor or capacitor, etc., and the electric circuit component 12 is, e.g., a DC-DC converter which converts a supplied direct current of 12V into a direct current of 3.3V. The configuration of an optical circuit including the optical circuit components 13 and 14 will be specifically described below.
Next, the configuration and operation of the optical circuit will be described in reference to
The optical circuit component 13 is, e.g., a photoelectric conversion element which converts an electrical signal into an optical signal or converts an optical signal into an electrical signal. Examples of the former include light-emitting elements such as semiconductor laser element or LED (Light Emitting Diode). Examples of the latter include light-receiving elements such as photodiode. Hereinafter, the optical circuit component 13 will be referred to as the photoelectric conversion element 13.
Meanwhile, the optical circuit component 14 is, e.g., a semiconductor circuit element electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element 13. Hereinafter, the optical circuit component 14 will be referred to as the semiconductor circuit element 14. When the photoelectric conversion element 13 is a light-emitting element, the semiconductor circuit element 14 is a driver IC for driving the photoelectric conversion element 13.
When the photoelectric conversion element 13 is a light-receiving element, the semiconductor circuit element 14 is a receiver IC for amplifying a signal input from the photoelectric conversion element 13.
The photoelectric conversion element 13 has a main body portion 130 and plural bumps 132 (only two are shown in
The semiconductor circuit element 14 has plural pads 141 (only five are shown in
The optical fiber 21 has a core 21a and a cladding 21b, and is arranged on the optical circuit board 52 so that one end surface faces a reflective surface 521a formed on the wiring pattern 521. The optical fiber 21, together with the plural insulated wires 23, constitutes the cable 2 (see
When light is emitted from the core 21a of the optical fiber 21, i.e., when the photoelectric conversion element 13 is a light-receiving element, the emitted light is reflected by the reflective surface 521a toward the photoelectric conversion element 13. The light reflected by the reflective surface 521a is incident on the photoelectric conversion element 13 through the light-emitting/receiving portion 131 of the photoelectric conversion element 13. The photoelectric conversion element 13 converts the incident optical signal into an electrical signal which is then sent to the semiconductor circuit element 14.
When the photoelectric conversion element 13 is a light-emitting element, the photoelectric conversion element 13 converts an electrical signal sent from the semiconductor circuit element 14 into an optical signal which is then emitted from the light-emitting/receiving portion 131. The emitted light is reflected by the reflective surface 521a toward the optical fiber 21. The reflected light is incident on the core 21a of the optical fiber 21 and propagates through the optical fiber 21.
Next, the configuration of the cable 2 will be described in reference to
The cable 2 has plural insulated wires 23 each having a conductor 23a connected to one of at least some of the plural pins 4 (see
The plural optical fibers 21 are all housed in a protective tube 22 formed of, e.g., a resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the present embodiment, there is a space between the plural optical fibers 21 and the protective tube 22.
The plural insulated wires 23 are arranged side-by-side along the outer periphery of the protective tube 22. Some of the plural insulated wires 23 are used as power lines and other insulated wires 23 are used as signal lines for transmitting signals at a lower speed than the transmission speed through the optical fibers 21.
A resin tape 24 formed of a resin, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc., is provided around the plural insulated wires 23. A braided shield 25 is interposed between the resin tape 24 and the sheath 26.
Next, configuration of the connection member 6 will be described in reference to
The connection member 6 has the connection substrate section 61 connected to the plural pins 4 as well as to the circuit substrate 5, and the positioning section 62 for positioning the plural pins 4 relative to the connection substrate section 61. In the present embodiment, the connection substrate section 61 is formed of a disc-shaped rigid substrate and is formed to have a larger radial size than the positioning section 62, as shown in
In the present embodiment, nine of the twenty-three pins 4 are connected to the connection substrate section 61, and then, two of the nine pins 4 are for high-speed signal lines. In the following description, seven of the nine pins 4 excluding the two pins 4 for high speed signal line are referred to as pins 41 and the two pins 4 for high speed signal line are referred to as pins 42.
As shown in
One end of the electric circuit board 51 in the longitudinal direction (in an axial direction of the plural pins 41 and 42) is connected to the plural (six in the present embodiment) substrate-connection electrodes 15 and one end of the optical circuit board 52 in the longitudinal direction (in the axial direction of the plural pins 41 and 42) to the plural (fourteen in the present embodiment) substrate-connection electrodes 16 by, e.g., soldering, etc.
The plural substrate-connection electrodes 15 and 16 are arranged to form respective rows in a lateral direction of the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 (a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the plural pins 41 and 42 as well as parallel to the mounting surfaces 51a and 52a). In the present embodiment, the plural substrate-connection electrodes 15 are arranged on the outer side relative to the plural substrate-connection electrodes 16 in a radial direction of the connection substrate section 61.
The seven pins 41 are connected to the plural (seven in the present embodiment) pin-connection electrodes 17 and the two pins 42 for high speed signal line are connected to the plural (two in the present embodiment) pin-connection electrodes 18. The seven pin-connection electrodes 17 are arranged side-by-side along the peripheral edge of the second substrate surface 61b, and the two pin-connection electrodes 18 are arranged on an inner side relative to the seven pin-connection electrodes 17 (on the center side of the connection substrate section 61).
In addition, plural (two in the present embodiment) notches 611 are formed on the connection substrate section 61 at a portion of the outer circumferential edge and two pins 411 respectively penetrate through the notches 611. The two pins 411 are connected to the insulated wires 23 (see
As shown in
Next, a connection structure between the plural pins 4 and the circuit substrate 5 and a connection structure between the circuit substrate 5 and the connection member 6 will be described in reference to
The connection substrate section 61 has the first substrate surface 61a along a direction crossing a portion of the mounting surfaces 51a and 52a of the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 on which the electric circuit components 11 and 12 and the optical circuit components 13 and 14 (the photoelectric conversion element 13 and the semiconductor circuit element 14) are arranged. The electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 are each formed of a flexible board and are electrically connected to the plural substrate-connection electrodes 15 and 16 provided on the first substrate surface 61a of the connection substrate section 61 in a state that the respective edges on one side are bent.
In more detail, plural electrodes formed on a surface of the electric circuit board 51 opposite to the mounting surface 51a are soldered to the plural substrate-connection electrodes 15, and plural electrodes formed on a surface of the optical circuit board 52 opposite to the mounting surface 52a are soldered to the plural substrate-connection electrodes 16. For connecting the plural electrodes on the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 to the plural substrate-connection electrodes 15 and 16 on the connection substrate section 61, the connection method is not limited to the soldering and may be, e.g., welding.
The plural pins 41 and 42 penetrate through the positioning section 62 and are respectively electrically connected to the plural pin-connection electrodes 17 and 18 in a state that end surfaces on one side face the second substrate surface 61b of the connection substrate section 61. In more detail, the plural pins 41 and 42 are in contact with the plural pin-connection electrodes 17 and 18 at one end surface and are connected thereto by, e.g., soldering.
As a result, the plural pins 41 and 42 are electrically connected to the connection substrate section 61, the circuit substrate 5 is electrically connected to the connection substrate section 61, and the plural pins 41 and 42 are thus electrically connected to the circuit substrate 5. In other words, the plural pins 41 and 42 are electrically connected to the circuit substrate 5 via the connection substrate section 61.
The following functions and effects are obtained in the embodiment described above.
(1) The plural pins 41 and 42 can be positioned relative to the connection substrate section 61 by penetrating though the positioning section 62, and thus can be easily connected to the plural pin-connection electrodes 17 and 18 as connection points provided on the connection substrate section 61.
(2) The axial direction of the plural pins 41 and 42 is a direction orthogonal to the second substrate surface 61b of the connection substrate section 61, and the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 are arranged so that the mounting surfaces 51a and 52a are along a direction crossing the first substrate surface 61a of the connection substrate section 61. Therefore, it is possible to provide a space for accommodating electronic components even when the connector 10 is small.
(3) The electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52, which are formed of elastically deformable flexible boards having flexibility and are pressed against the substrate surface 61a of the connection substrate section 61 in a state that one end portion is bent, are easily connected to the connection substrate section 61 and, for example, even when an impact is applied to the connector 10, the impact is absorbed and this allows the connection state of the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 to the connection substrate section 61 to be maintained.
(4) Since the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52 are arranged so that the mounting surfaces 51a and 52a are parallel to each other, it is possible to provide a sufficient mounting space for mounting electronic components.
(5) The positioning section 62 has the plural through-holes 622 arranged on the inner side relative to the plural notches 621 formed at the outer circumferential edge, and the pins 42 for high speed signal line penetrate through the through-holes 622. Therefore, it is less likely to be affected by external noise, allowing high-speed communication with high accuracy.
(6) Since the circuit substrate 5 and the plural pins 41 and 42 are connected to the substrate-connection electrodes 15 and 16 and the pin-connection electrodes 17 and 18 respectively provided on the first and second substrate surfaces 61a and 61b of the connection substrate section 61, a size of the connector 10 in the extending direction of the cable 2 is smaller than when, e.g., providing a connecting receptacle on the connection substrate section 61, leading to a downsizing of the connector 10.
Technical ideas understood from the embodiment will be described below citing the reference numerals, etc., used for the embodiment. However, each reference numeral, etc., described below is not intended to limit the constituent elements in the claims to the members, etc., specifically described in the embodiment.
[1] A connector (10), comprising: a plurality of pins (4); a circuit substrate (5) where an electronic component(s) is mounted on a mounting surface; a connection member (6) for electrically connecting the plurality of pins (4) and the circuit substrate (5); and a housing (3) for accommodating the circuit substrate (5) and the connecting member (6), wherein the connection member (6) comprises a connection substrate section (61) including a first substrate surface (61a) to which one end part of the circuit substrate (5) is connected and a positioning section (62) for positioning the plurality of pins (4) relative to a second substrate surface (61b) of the connection substrate section (61) provided on the opposite side of the first substrate surface (61a), and the plurality of pins (4) penetrate through the positioning section (62) and are thereby electrically connected in a state where one end surface of each of the plurality of pins (4) faces the second substrate surface (61b) of the connection substrate section (61).
[2] The connector defined by [1], wherein an axial direction of the plurality of pins (4) is a direction orthogonal to the second substrate surface (61b) of the connection substrate section (61), and the mounting surface of the circuit substrate (5) is arranged in a direction crossing the first substrate surface (61a) of the connection substrate section (61).
[3] The connector (10) defined by [1] or [2], wherein the circuit substrate (5) comprises a flexible board, and one end part of the circuit substrate (5) is bent and is electrically connected to the first substrate surface (61a) of the connection substrate section (61).
[4] The connector (10) defined by any one of [1] to [3], wherein electric circuit components (11, 12) and optical circuit components (photoelectric conversion element 13, semiconductor circuit element 14) are mounted as the electronic component on the circuit substrate (5).
[5] The connector (10) defined by [4], wherein the circuit substrate (5) comprises an electric circuit board (51) mounting the electric circuit components (11, 12) and an optical circuit board (52) mounting the optical circuit components (photoelectric conversion element 13, semiconductor circuit element 14), and the electric circuit board (51) and the optical circuit board (52) are arranged so that the respective mounting surfaces (51a, 52a) thereof are parallel to each other.
[6] The connector (10) defined by any one of [1] to [5], wherein the positioning section (62) comprises a plurality of notches (621) formed at an outer circumferential edge and a plurality of through-holes (622) formed on the inner side relative to the plurality of notches (621), and pins (42) for high speed signal line among the plurality of pins (4) penetrate through the plurality of through-holes (622).
[7] The connector (10) defined by any one of [1] to [6], wherein the plurality of pins (4) and the circuit substrate (5) are connected to electrodes (15 to 18) respectively provided on the first and second substrate surfaces (61a, 61b) of the connection substrate section (61).
[8] A cable with connector (1), comprising: the connector (10) described in any of the [1] to [7], and a cable (2) that comprises an electric wire(s) (insulated wire 23) comprising a conductor (23a) connected to a pin (4) among at least some of the plurality of pins (4) and a sheath (26) covering the insulated wire(s) (23).
Although the embodiment of the invention has been described, the invention according to claims is not to be limited to the embodiment described above. Further, please note that all combinations of the features described in the embodiment are not necessary to solve the problem of the invention.
The invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. For example, although a photoelectric composite connector and a photoelectric composite connectorized cable, which mount electric circuit components and optical circuit components, have been described in the embodiment, it is not limited thereto. For example, only electric circuit components may be mounted and the intended use of the connector 10 and the cable with connector 1 is not limited.
In addition, although the connector 10 has a cylindrical shape in the embodiment, it is not limited thereto. The connector 10 may have, e.g., a squared cylindrical shape.
In addition, the numbers of the plural pins 4 and the insulated wires 23 are not specifically limited and can be changed according to the intended used of the connector 10 and the cable with connector 1.
In addition, the circuit substrate 5 is composed of two substrates, the electric circuit board 51 and the optical circuit board 52, in the embodiment, it is not limited thereto. The number of the substrates can be changed according to the intended used of the connector 10 and the cable with connector 1.
In addition, although the plural notches 611 and 621 are formed at a portion of the outer circumferential edge of the connection substrate section 61 and at the outer circumferential edge of the positioning section 62 in the embodiment, it is not limited thereto. For example, through-holes may be formed instead.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2014/055055 | 2/28/2014 | WO | 00 |
