Electric connector and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a manufacturing method of an electric connector, which is used for assembling a high-density interconnected electric connector, and mainly comprises the following steps: providing an insulating substrate provided with a plurality of assembling through holes and a plurality of elastomer contact pieces, the elastomer contact piece is an elastic electric conductor with an open pore structure; the elastic body contact piece is arranged in the assembling through hole by means of mechanical force or aerodynamic force, and the elastic body contact piece is fixed to the inner wall of the assembling through hole by means of compressed elastic tension; heating the insulating substrate and / or the elastomer contact piece to a temperature higher than the thermal deformation temperature of the thermoplastic resin material, wherein the contact part of the elastomer contact piece and the assembly through hole is embedded into the thermoplastic resin material after the surface layer of the assembly through hole is softened by means of elastic tension; and cooling the composite insulating substrate until the thermoplastic resin material is hardened, and embedding the elastomer contact piece into the inner wall of the insulating substrate assembling through hole to form the electric connector. By adopting the method for assembling the electric connector, the operation process is simple and convenient, the assembling efficiency is high, the structure is reliable, and the method is suitable for batch manufacturing of high-density small-spacing high-speed electric connectors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to an electrical connector using a porous elastic electrical conductor as a contact member and a manufacturing method thereof, belonging to the field of electrical connectors. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of electrical equipment towards thinner, smaller and higher-speed directions, the requirements for electrical connectors used to achieve signal transmission between electronic components are also higher. Electrical connectors are required to achieve vertical interconnection between electronic circuits with low height (less than 0.5 mm), small pitch (less than 0.5 mm) and high density (number of contacts greater than 2000). Traditional pin or spring metal conductive terminal electrical connectors are difficult to meet such requirements due to their complex structure, high connection height and complex assembly processes.

[0003] In the existing vertical interconnection technology, there is an electrical connector composed of a contact member formed by winding and pressing a metal filament material (registered trademarks are CIN::APSE and Fuzz Buttons, Chinese name is "Fuzzy Button") and an insulator, which improves the problem of high-density transmission between boards. Such electrical connectors usually include fuzzy buttons and an insulating substrate. The fuzzy buttons are installed in the installation holes opened on the insulating substrate. To prevent the fuzzy buttons from falling out of the installation holes, usually the following two methods are adopted: 1) Set the outer diameter size of the fuzzy button to be slightly larger than the inner diameter size of the installation hole, and the fuzzy button is in interference fit with the installation hole; 2) Rely on fixing pins or elastic fixing rings to fix the fuzzy button in the installation hole. The specific implementation schemes of the above two methods are disclosed in the documents with Chinese Patent Application Publication Nos. CN108493644A and CN110190429.

[0004] The fuzzy button electrical connectors assembled by the above two methods still have some deficiencies. The first method usually uses a mechanical device to push and / or pull the end of the fuzzy button for interference fit installation. The fuzzy button is fixed only by compressive elastic tension. When installing at a small pitch and high density, due to being fixed by the elastic tension of the contact surface, the installation holes of the insulating substrate must have a certain length to maintain the contact area and mechanical strength, otherwise the substrate is prone to deformation or the contact member is displaced or falls off during use. Such a method is difficult to meet the requirements of high density and low height at the same time; the second method fixes the fuzzy button by adding fixing pins or elastic fixing rings, which will occupy more space of the insulator, limit the pitch of the installation holes of the insulator, and is not suitable for the assembly of small-pitch and high-density contact members. For fine contact members, the added fixing components also increase the assembly difficulty; the above methods all have the defect of difficult low-height and high-density assembly of fine contact members and are not suitable for large-scale production.

[0005] In summary, it is still difficult to realize an electrical connector with low profile, small pitch, high density, reliable structure and suitable for mass production in the prior art. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a manufacturing method of an electrical connector to overcome the defects of the related art. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connector and a manufacturing method thereof, which can conveniently obtain a high-density electrical connector with reliable structure, simple assembly and mass production.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electrical connector, comprising the following steps: (1) providing an insulating substrate having a plurality of circular assembly through holes and a plurality of elastomeric contact pieces corresponding to the assembly through holes, wherein the insulating substrate is made of a thermoplastic resin material or a thermoplastic resin composite material, and the elastomeric contact piece is an open-hole elastic conductor having a mesh skeleton structure, and in an unassembled state, the elastomeric contact piece is provided with a predetermined assembly surface corresponding to the inner wall of the assembly through hole, and the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the predetermined assembly surface is 1.1 to 2 times the minimum cross-sectional diameter of the inner wall of the assembly through hole; (2) using mechanical force or pneumatic force to form an assembly surface; The elastomeric contact is placed in the assembly through hole by power, and the elastomeric contact is fixed to the inner wall of the assembly through hole by elastic tension after compression; (3) the insulating substrate and / or the elastomeric contact is heated by a heat source to a temperature exceeding the thermal deformation temperature of the thermoplastic resin material contained in the insulating substrate, and the temperature is maintained until the mesh skeleton of the contact part between the elastomeric contact and the assembly through hole is embedded in the softened thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole by elastic tension; (4) the insulating substrate and the elastomeric contact are cooled until the thermoplastic resin material hardens, and part of the mesh skeleton of the elastomeric contact is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole to form an electrical connector.

[0008] Optionally, in step (3), an anti-deformation template is provided, wherein the anti-deformation template is made of a high-temperature resistant and heat-conductive hard material and is provided with a plurality of pin holes corresponding to the positions of the elastomeric contact pieces. Before heating the insulating substrate and / or the elastomeric contact pieces, the anti-deformation template is attached to the two opening surfaces of the insulating substrate, and the portions of the elastomeric contact pieces protruding from the two opening surfaces of the insulating substrate are placed in the pin holes. In step (4), after cooling the insulating substrate and the elastomeric contact pieces until the thermoplastic resin material is hardened, the anti-deformation template is removed.

[0009] Optionally, the insulating substrate preparation method comprises the following steps: a) providing a thermoplastic resin plate or an insulating fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite plate; b) preparing assembly through holes according to predetermined positions and diameters of the assembly through holes.

[0010] Optionally, the insulating substrate preparation method includes the following steps: a) providing a solid inorganic material insulating board or a thermosetting resin fiber board; b) preparing a prefabricated through hole according to a predetermined position of the assembly through hole, and the aperture of the prefabricated through hole is 1.1 to 2 times the aperture of the assembly through hole; c) coating a thermoplastic resin on the surface of the prefabricated through hole until the inner diameter of the through hole reaches the aperture of the assembly through hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the thermoplastic resin material is one of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyamide, polyetheretherketone, liquid crystal polymer or other suitable thermoplastic resin materials.

[0012] Furthermore, the elastic contact piece is made of an elastic alloy body with an open-pore structure or a composite elastic body with metal material deposited on the inner and outer surfaces of an elastic polymer with an open-pore structure.

[0013] Furthermore, the elastomeric contact piece has interconnected pores distributed in the body, with a porosity between 30% and 70% and a pore size between 2 μm and 200 μm.

[0014] Furthermore, the elastic contact piece has an outer shape in an unassembled state of one or more of a cylindrical, spherical or spindle shape, and the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the predetermined assembly surface is in the range of 0.2 to 4 mm.

[0015] Furthermore, the thickness of the insulating substrate is in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm, the minimum cross-sectional diameter of the inner wall of the assembly through hole is in the range of 0.1 to 2 mm, and the spacing between the assembly through holes is in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm.

[0016] The present invention also provides an electrical connector, comprising an insulating substrate with a plurality of assembly through holes and a plurality of elastomeric contacts. The insulating substrate is made of a thermoplastic resin material or a thermoplastic resin composite material; the elastomeric contacts are open-cell elastic electrical conductors with a three-dimensional mesh skeleton structure, and are provided with a predetermined assembly surface corresponding to the inner wall of the assembly through hole; after the elastomeric contacts are assembled, the mesh skeleton of the predetermined assembly surface is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole.

[0017] Due to the adoption of the above technical scheme, compared with the existing technology, the present invention has the following advantages: only the open-hole elastomer contact piece and the insulating substrate are used to form an electrical connector, the structure is simple, and it is suitable for vertical interconnection between small-pitch and high-density circuits; the mesh skeleton of the part of the elastomer contact piece is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material on the inner wall of the assembly through hole of the insulating substrate, which is not easy to shift or fall off, and the structure is stable and reliable; the open-hole elastomer contact piece has a high compression rate, and its elastic effect has good adaptability to the coplanarity difference of the contact end faces of the connected circuit, and is particularly suitable for the electrical connection of high-density array integrated circuits such as BGA, LGA, CSP, etc.; the elastomer contact piece with tiny pores can be equivalent to a solid conductor, and adopts a low-profile design. Its inductance is much lower than that of a wool button type contact piece made of metal wire, and the transmission rate and frequency can be greatly improved, which is particularly suitable for high-frequency and high-speed electrical signal interconnection; the assembly is performed by heating and softening the thermoplastic resin, the operation process is simple, the assembly efficiency is high, and it is suitable for mass production of high-density, low-profile, and small-pitch electrical connectors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing electrical connectors.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of using an anti-deformation template to manufacture an electrical connector.

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the insulating substrate structure.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the elastic contact structure.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a view and a cross-section of the electrical connector body.

[0023] In the figure: 100, electrical connector; 10, insulating substrate; 11, assembly through hole; 12 inner wall of assembly through hole; 13, minimum cross-sectional diameter; 14, opening surface; 15, substrate; 16, prefabricated through hole; 17, surface layer; 18, initial through hole; 20, elastomeric contact piece; 21, mesh skeleton; 22, predetermined assembly surface; 23, maximum cross-sectional diameter; 24, elastic metal skeleton; 25, elastic polymer skeleton; 26, conductive coating; 27, protective coating; 30, heat source; 40, anti-deformation template; 41, pin hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation examples:

[0025] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the process of manufacturing an electrical connector according to the present invention is as follows:

[0026] Step (1): Refer to Figure 1 (1) An insulating substrate 10 having a plurality of circular assembly through holes 11 and a plurality of elastomeric contacts 20 corresponding to the assembly through holes 11 are provided. The insulating substrate 10 is made of a thermoplastic resin material or a thermoplastic resin composite material. The elastomeric contacts 20 are open-cell elastic electrical conductors having a mesh skeleton structure. In an unassembled state, the elastomeric contacts 20 are provided with a predetermined assembly surface 22 corresponding to an inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole. The maximum cross-sectional diameter 23 of the predetermined assembly surface 22 is 1.1 to 2 times the minimum cross-sectional diameter 13 of the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole.

[0027] Step (2): Refer to Figure 1 (2) The elastic contact piece 20 is placed in the assembly through hole 11 by mechanical force or pneumatic force. The elastic contact piece 20 is fixed to the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole by elastic tension after compression.

[0028] Step (3): Refer to Figure 1 (3) The insulating substrate 10 and / or the elastomeric contact member 20 are heated by a heat source 30 to a temperature exceeding the thermal deformation temperature of the thermoplastic resin material, and the temperature is maintained until the part of the mesh skeleton 21 that contacts the assembly through hole 11 is embedded in the softened thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole by elastic tension.

[0029] Step (4): Refer to Figure 1 (4) The insulating substrate 10 and the elastic contact 20 are cooled until the thermoplastic resin material is hardened, and a part of the mesh skeleton 21 of the elastic contact 20 is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole to form the electrical connector 100.

[0030] In order to prevent the two opening surfaces 14 of the insulating substrate 10 perpendicular to the thickness from deforming during heating, an anti-deformation template 40 may be added in the aforementioned step (3), referring to Figure 2 (a) The anti-deformation template 40 is made of a high-temperature resistant and heat-conductive hard material and is provided with a plurality of pin holes 41 corresponding to the positions of the assembly through holes 11 of the insulating substrate. Before heating the insulating substrate 10 and / or the elastomeric contact piece 20, the anti-deformation template 40 is attached to the two opening surfaces 14 of the insulating substrate 10. The positions of the pin holes 41 of the anti-deformation template 40 overlap with the positions of the assembly through holes 11. The pin holes 41 can be through holes or blind holes. The portions of the elastomeric contact piece 20 protruding from the two opening surfaces 14 of the insulating substrate 10 are placed in the pin holes 41.

[0031] During the heating process, the anti-deformation template 40 maintains a fit state with the insulating substrate 10, which can ensure that the two opening surfaces 14 of the insulating substrate 10 do not deform. Only the part of the thermoplastic material that contacts the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole and the elastic contact piece 20 undergoes thermal deformation under the action of elastic tension.

[0032] Reference Figure 2(b) In the aforementioned step (4), the insulating substrate 10 , the elastic contact 20 and the anti-deformation template 40 are cooled to a temperature below the curing temperature of the thermoplastic resin material, and the anti-deformation template 40 can be removed to obtain the electrical connector 100 .

[0033] The heat source 30 can heat the insulating substrate 10 by convection heating, radiation heating or conduction heating. Convection heating and radiation heating usually heat the insulating substrate 10 and the elastomeric contact member 20 as a whole. Conduction heating can transfer heat to the insulating substrate 10 through the anti-deformation template 40, or by directly heating the elastomeric contact member 20.

[0034] The heat source 30 may also heat the insulating substrate 10 by point heating (such as laser heating), and may heat only the elastic contact 20 or a local area of ​​the insulating substrate 10 where the elastic contact 20 contacts the assembly through hole 11 .

[0035] In order to prevent the deformation template 40 from thermal deformation, the deformation template 40 needs higher mechanical strength and good thermal conductivity, and can be made of high-temperature resistant and thermally conductive hard materials such as ceramics or metals.

[0036] The insulating substrate 10 is made of thermoplastic resin material or thermoplastic resin composite material. The insulating substrate 10 can generally be prepared by two methods (eg Figure 3 ):

[0037] The first method refers to Figure 3 a. A thermoplastic resin plate or an insulating fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite plate of a predetermined thickness is used as the base sheet 15, and the through holes 11 are processed and assembled according to the predetermined positions and hole diameters to form the insulating substrate 10.

[0038] The other two methods refer to Figure 3 b. Use a solid inorganic insulating board or a thermosetting resin fiber board as the substrate 15, the thickness of the substrate 15 is 0.5 to 0.9 times the predetermined thickness of the insulating substrate, and a prefabricated through hole 16 is processed according to the center position of the assembly through hole, and the aperture of the prefabricated through hole 16 is 1.1 to 2 times the aperture of the assembly through hole 11; a thermoplastic resin material is coated on the surface of the prefabricated through hole 16 and the substrate 5 until the inner diameter of the through hole reaches the aperture of the assembly through hole 11, and a thermoplastic resin material surface layer 17 is formed on the surface of the substrate 15 and the prefabricated through hole 16. The coating method can be emulsion spraying, hot melt dipping, solution coating, etc.

[0039] The thermoplastic resin material is made of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyamide, polyetheretherketone, liquid crystal polymer or other suitable materials.

[0040] The inorganic material insulating board adopts ceramic or glass sheet, and the thermosetting resin fiberboard adopts one of epoxy resin glass fiberboard, epoxy resin ePTFE board, phenolic resin paper substrate or other suitable fiber composite materials.

[0041] The thickness of the insulating substrate is generally in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm, the minimum cross-sectional diameter of the inner wall of the assembly through hole is in the range of 0.1 to 2 mm, and the spacing between the assembly through holes is in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm. Other suitable sizes can be selected as needed.

[0042] The elastic contact member 20 is an open-cell elastic conductor having a mesh frame 21 structure, and the mesh frame 21 is an elastic alloy body of an elastic metal frame 24 ( Figure 4 a) or a composite elastomer having a metal conductive coating 26 deposited on the inner and outer surfaces of the elastic polymer skeleton 25 ( Figure 4 b) To prevent oxidation of the elastic alloy surface, a metal protective coating 27 is deposited on the outer surface of the elastic metal skeleton 24.

[0043] The elastic alloy material is beryllium bronze, titanium bronze, phosphor bronze, copper-nickel-tin (Cu-Ni-Sn) alloy or other suitable elastic or highly elastic alloy, which is made into open-pore elastic alloy particles through powder metallurgy and / or porous metal manufacturing process.

[0044] The polymer elastomer material is silicone rubber, fluororubber, chloroprene rubber or other suitable thermosetting elastomer materials, and an open-pore elastic polymer skeleton 25 is formed through a hole-making process. The metal conductive coating 26 deposited on the surface is one or more of gold, silver, copper, nickel, and chromium, and the metal protective coating 27 is one or more of gold, silver, nickel, chromium, and tin.

[0045] The metal conductive coating 26 and the metal protective coating 27 can be made of a coating combination of one or more metal materials, and can be deposited by vacuum deposition, chemical plating, electroplating, or the like.

[0046] The elastomeric contact piece 20 has a connecting pore 26 that runs through the inside and outside of the contact piece body, with a porosity between 30% and 70%, a pore size between 2μm and 200μm or other suitable sizes, and an outer shape in an unassembled state that is spherical, cylindrical, spindle-shaped or some other suitable shape, and a predetermined maximum cross-sectional diameter of the assembly surface that is in the range of 0.2 to 4mm or other suitable sizes.

[0047] Figure 5The electrical connector 100 includes an insulating substrate 10 having a plurality of assembly through holes 11 and a plurality of elastomeric contacts 20. The insulating substrate 10 is made of a thermoplastic resin material or a thermoplastic resin composite material. The elastomeric contacts 20 are open-cell elastic conductors having a three-dimensional mesh skeleton structure and are provided with a predetermined assembly surface 22 corresponding to the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole. After the assembly is completed according to the above manufacturing method, the mesh skeleton 21 of the predetermined assembly surface 22 of the elastomeric contacts 20 is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall 12 of the assembly through hole of the insulating substrate 10 to form the electrical connector 100.

[0048] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electrical connector, comprising the following steps: (1) providing an insulating substrate having a plurality of circular assembly through holes and a plurality of elastomeric contacts corresponding to the assembly through holes, wherein the insulating substrate is made of a thermoplastic resin material or a thermoplastic resin composite material, and the elastomeric contacts are open-hole elastic conductors having a mesh skeleton structure, and in an unassembled state, the elastomeric contacts are provided with a predetermined assembly surface corresponding to the inner wall of the assembly through hole, and the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the predetermined assembly surface is 1.1 to 2 times the minimum cross-sectional diameter of the inner wall of the assembly through hole; (2) placing the elastomeric contacts in the assembly through holes by mechanical force or pneumatic force, The elastomeric contact is fixed to the inner wall of the assembly through hole by elastic tension after compression; (3) the insulating substrate and / or the elastomeric contact is heated by a heat source to a temperature exceeding the thermal deformation temperature of the thermoplastic resin material contained in the insulating substrate, and the temperature is maintained until the mesh skeleton of the contact part between the elastomeric contact and the assembly through hole is embedded in the softened thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole by elastic tension; (4) the insulating substrate and the elastomeric contact are cooled until the thermoplastic resin material hardens, and part of the mesh skeleton of the elastomeric contact is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole to form an electrical connector.

2. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: In step (3), an anti-deformation template is provided. The anti-deformation template is made of a high-temperature resistant and heat-conductive hard material and is provided with a plurality of pin holes corresponding to the positions of the elastomeric contact pieces. Before heating the insulating substrate and / or the elastomeric contact piece, the anti-deformation template is attached to the two opening surfaces of the insulating substrate, and the portions of the elastomeric contact piece protruding from the two opening surfaces of the insulating substrate are placed in the pin holes. In step (4), after cooling the insulating substrate and the elastomeric contact piece until the thermoplastic resin material is hardened, the anti-deformation template is removed.

3. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The method for preparing an insulating substrate comprises the following steps: a) providing a thermoplastic resin plate or an insulating fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite plate; b) preparing an assembly through hole according to a predetermined position and hole diameter of the assembly through hole.

4. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The insulating substrate preparation method comprises the following steps: a) providing a solid inorganic material insulating board or a thermosetting resin fiber board; b) preparing a prefabricated through hole according to a predetermined position of the assembly through hole, wherein the aperture of the prefabricated through hole is 1.1 to 2 times the aperture of the assembly through hole; and c) coating a thermoplastic resin on the surface of the prefabricated through hole until the inner diameter of the through hole reaches the aperture of the assembly through hole.

5. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The thermoplastic resin material is one of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyamide, polyetheretherketone, liquid crystal polymer or other suitable thermoplastic resin materials.

6. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic body contact piece is made of an elastic alloy body with an open-pore structure or a composite elastic body with metal materials deposited on the inner and outer surfaces of an elastic polymer with an open-pore structure.

7. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic contact piece has interconnected pores distributed in the body, with a porosity between 30% and 70% and a pore size between 2 μm and 200 μm.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic contact piece has one or more cylindrical, spherical or spindle shapes in an unassembled state, and the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the predetermined assembly surface is in the range of 0.2 to 4 mm.

9. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the insulating substrate is in the range of 0.1 to 2 mm, the minimum cross-sectional diameter of the inner wall of the assembly through hole is in the range of 0.1 to 2 mm, and the spacing between the assembly through holes is in the range of 0.1 to 2 mm.

10. An electrical connector, comprising an insulating substrate having a plurality of assembly through holes and a plurality of elastic contact members, characterized in that: The insulating substrate is made of thermoplastic resin material or thermoplastic resin composite material; the elastomeric contact piece is an open-hole elastic conductor with a three-dimensional mesh skeleton structure, and is provided with a predetermined assembly surface corresponding to the inner wall of the assembly through hole; after the elastomeric contact piece is assembled, the mesh skeleton of its predetermined assembly surface is embedded in the thermoplastic resin material of the inner wall of the assembly through hole.

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