Superconductive particle and silica gel key

Abstract

The invention discloses a superconducting particle and a silica gel key, and the superconducting particle comprises a plurality of layers of metal conductive nets which are arranged in a stacked manner. The multiple layers of metal conductive nets form a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore diameters; wherein the value range of the wire diameter of the metal conductive net is 10 [mu] m-200 [mu] m; in the first direction, the superconducting particles are provided with first surfaces and second surfaces which are opposite to each other, and the first surfaces and the second surfaces are uniformly provided with a plurality of metal contacts respectively; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal conductive net. The technical scheme of the invention has the advantages of uniform contact distribution, high current resistance, irrelevance between contact resistance and contact pressure, low contact resistance, high switching current reliability, low cost and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of contact circuit boards, and in particular to a superconducting particle and a silica gel key. Background Art

[0002] Silicone buttons are frequently used in the automotive field, for example, for one-touch start, emergency buttons, mirror adjusters, window lifters and multi-function steering wheels. Silicone buttons contain one or more superconducting particles, which are a type of electrical contact. The superconducting particles on the silicone buttons usually include a base glue layer and a metal contact surface connected to the base glue layer. When in use, the silicone button is pressed, and the superconducting particles on the silicone button contact the PCB, making the corresponding circuit on the PCB conductive. Therefore, the electrical properties and conductive stability of the superconducting particles are crucial.

[0003] However, traditional conductive black particles use carbon silicone materials to conduct electricity, and their contact resistance is often large. Since their contact resistance is related to pressure, if the key is only slightly pressed, it will form an extremely high switch resistance. In order to improve the above shortcomings, planar gold particles have appeared in succession, but they cause high costs or inconsistent surface contact points, and the number and size of contact points cannot be controlled, resulting in poor conduction in extreme cases. In addition, most of them have a metal contact surface on one side and cannot conduct electricity on both sides. Therefore, when assembling superconducting particles on electrical contact point function keys, the front and back sides need to be manually identified, resulting in low production efficiency. It is also easy for superconducting particles to be installed upside down and unable to achieve their functions, which seriously affects product yield and reliability. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a superconducting particle and a silicone keypad to solve the problems existing in the prior art, so that the superconducting particle and the silicone keypad have the advantages of uniform contact distribution, high current resistance, contact resistance being independent of contact pressure, low contact resistance, high switching current reliability and low cost.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a superconducting particle, comprising:

[0006] A plurality of layers of metal conductive mesh are stacked; the plurality of layers of the metal conductive mesh form a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore size;

[0007] Among them, the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh ranges from 10 μm to 200 μm; along the first direction, the superconducting particles have a first surface and a second surface relative to each other, and the first surface and the second surface are respectively evenly provided with multiple metal contacts; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal conductive mesh.

[0008] Optionally, the superconducting particles further include: an elastomeric material; the elastomeric material completely fills the pores of the three-dimensional conductive network.

[0009] Optionally, the plurality of metal contacts are disposed on the metal conductive mesh on the first surface and the second surface.

[0010] Optionally, the height range of the metal contact along the first direction is: 0.003mm-100mm.

[0011] Optionally, the diameter of the metal contact along the first surface or the second surface ranges from 1.5 mm to 10 mm.

[0012] Optionally, the pore size of the three-dimensional conductive network ranges from 20 μm to 200 μm.

[0013] Optionally, the shape of the holes in the three-dimensional conductive network includes at least one of a circle and a polygon.

[0014] Optionally, the superconducting particles are connected to a silicone switch in the form of a contact sheet; and the elastomeric material is silicone.

[0015] Optionally, the metal conductive mesh is at least one of a copper mesh, a titanium mesh or a copper alloy mesh.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a silicone keypad, comprising a silicone switch and any of the superconducting particles described above.

[0017] The technical solution of the present invention is to make the superconducting particles include a multi-layer metal conductive mesh that is stacked, and the multi-layer metal conductive mesh forms a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore size. The first surface and the second surface of the superconducting particles are respectively provided with a plurality of metal contacts, so that the contact resistance of the superconducting particles is low, and the contact resistance is independent of the contact pressure, and the multi-layer metal conductive mesh of the superconducting particles can be electrically connected, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the switching function of the superconducting particles. In addition, since the metal contacts formed by the metal conductive mesh are uniform, when there is oxidation or dust on the first surface or the second surface, it can also ensure that the superconducting particles are in reliable contact with the circuit and have good conductivity; at the same time, the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh is set in the range of 10μm-200μm, so that the structure of the superconducting particles is stable, and the instantaneous large current when the superconducting particles are in contact with the circuit can be effectively dispersed, so that the superconducting particles are more resistant to current.

[0018] It should be understood that the contents described in this section are not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 A top view of a superconducting particle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a superconducting particle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a silicone button provided in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0025] This embodiment provides a superconducting particle. Figure 1 A top view of a superconducting particle provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a superconducting particle provided by an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the superconducting particle 100 comprises: a stacked multi-layer metal conductive mesh 1, the multi-layer metal conductive mesh 1 forms a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore size. The wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 ranges from 10 μm to 200 μm; along the first direction L1 ( Figure 1 In the direction perpendicular to the paper surface), the superconducting particle has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and a plurality of metal contacts 11 are respectively provided on the first surface and the second surface.

[0026] The first direction L1 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal conductive mesh 1 .

[0027] Among them, the metal conductive mesh 1 is used to make the corresponding circuit conductive when it contacts the circuit on the PCB. The stacked multiple layers of metal conductive meshes 1 form a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform apertures, such as a honeycomb interconnected structure, so that two adjacent layers of metal conductive meshes 1 are electrically connected. Therefore, when the metal conductive mesh 1 in contact with the circuit on the PCB is oxidized or dirty and cannot conduct electricity, it can prevent the superconducting particles from failing by electrically connecting with the adjacent conductive layer, thereby improving the reliability of the superconducting particles. In an optional embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the metal conductive mesh 1, that is, the two surfaces opposite to each other along the first direction L1, are also provided with a plurality of metal contacts 11, so that the corresponding metal contacts 11 of the two adjacent layers of metal conductive meshes 1 are electrically connected, thereby improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the two adjacent layers of metal conductive meshes 1.

[0028] The number of layers of the metal conductive mesh 1 can be set according to the size requirements and reliability requirements for the superconducting particles. The more layers of the metal conductive mesh 1, the larger the size of the superconducting particles, but the better the reliability of the superconducting particles.

[0029] It should be noted that Figure 2 The example only shows the case where the superconducting particles include three layers of metal conductive meshes 1 stacked in layers, and does not limit the number of metal conductive meshes 1 in the superconducting particles. The structure of the superconducting particles in this embodiment is not limited to this, as long as the core invention of this embodiment can be achieved.

[0030] In an optional embodiment, the metal conductive mesh 1 is at least one of a copper mesh, a titanium mesh or a copper alloy mesh, so as to improve the conductivity of the metal conductive mesh 1, reduce heat generation, and make the metal conductive mesh 1 less susceptible to oxidation, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the superconducting particles.

[0031] The wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 has a value range of 10μm-200μm. Specifically, the value range of the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 is limited according to the material of the metal conductive mesh 1 and the heating requirements for the superconducting particles (i.e., the current resistance requirements of the superconducting particles). The greater the resistance of the metal conductive mesh 1 and the higher the heating requirements for the superconducting particles (i.e., the superconducting particles are required to be more current-resistant), the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 can be set to a larger value; on the contrary, if the resistance of the metal conductive mesh 1 is smaller and the heating requirements for the superconducting particles are lower, the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 can be set to a larger value. In this way, by setting the value range of the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh 1 to 10μm-200μm, the instantaneous large current when the superconducting particles are in contact with the circuit can be effectively dispersed, so that the superconducting particles generate less heat and the current resistance of the superconducting particles is improved.

[0032] Along the first direction L1, the first and second surfaces of the superconducting particles are evenly provided with a plurality of metal contacts 11 respectively. When the first surface or the second surface is used as a contact surface for contacting the corresponding circuit of the PCB, the metal contact 11 contacts the corresponding circuit of the PCB and conducts the corresponding circuit, so that the first surface and the second surface can both be used as the conductive contact surface of the superconducting particles, which is beneficial to improve the life of the metal conductive particles. At the same time, when the superconducting particles are assembled to form a silicone key, there is no need to identify the conductive contact surface of the superconducting particles, which prevents the reverse installation of the superconducting particles from affecting the conductivity of the silicone key, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the silicone key. In addition, since the first surface and the second surface are both provided with a plurality of metal contacts 11, it can ensure that the superconducting particles can reliably contact the corresponding circuit of the PCB and have good conductivity.

[0033] It should also be noted that Figure 1 The shape and size of the superconducting particles provided in this embodiment can be limited according to actual use requirements while achieving the core invention of the present invention.

[0034] In the present embodiment, the superconducting particles include a plurality of stacked metal conductive meshes, and the plurality of metal conductive meshes form a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore size. A plurality of metal contacts are respectively provided on the first surface and the second surface of the superconducting particles, so that the contact resistance of the superconducting particles is low, and the contact resistance is independent of the contact pressure, and the plurality of metal conductive meshes of the superconducting particles can be electrically connected, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the switching function of the superconducting particles. In addition, since the metal contacts formed by the metal conductive mesh are uniform, when there is oxidation or dust on the first surface or the second surface, it can be ensured that the superconducting particles are in reliable contact with the circuit and have good conductivity. At the same time, the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh is set in the range of 10 μm-200 μm, so that the structure of the superconducting particles is stable, and the instantaneous large current when the superconducting particles are in contact with the circuit can be effectively dispersed, so that the superconducting particles are more resistant to current.

[0035] Optional, continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the superconducting particles 100 also include: an elastomeric material 20, which completely fills the pores of the three-dimensional conductive network to support each layer of the metal conductive network 1, thereby preventing the superconducting particles from being worn and deformed after pressing the silicone key for multiple times, thereby affecting the reliability of the silicone key.

[0036] The elastomeric material 20 may be, but is not limited to, silicone rubber, silicone resin, or other silicones, and may have properties such as elasticity and wear resistance. In an optional embodiment, when the elastomeric material 20 is silicone, the stacked multi-layer metal conductive mesh 1 may be placed in a mold, wherein the contact points of the metal conductive mesh 1 located in the outermost layer are in contact with the inner wall of the mold, and then liquid silicone is injected into the mold, and compression molding is performed at an appropriate temperature and pressure, so that the liquid silicone completely fills the aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network and solidifies to form superconducting particles.

[0037] Optionally, the superconducting particles are connected to the silicone switch in the form of contact sheets, and the elastomeric material 20 is silicone, so that the silicone switch and the elastomeric material 20 in the superconducting particles can be integrally formed, making the connection reliability between the silicone switch and the superconducting particles higher, thereby ensuring the connection reliability between the silicone switch and the superconducting particles higher, increasing the effective number of presses of the silicone key, and thereby increasing the service life of the silicone key.

[0038] Optionally, multiple metal contacts 11 are arranged on the metal conductive mesh 1 on the first surface and the second surface, so that the multiple metal contacts 11 are respectively integrally formed with the metal conductive mesh 1 on the first surface or the second surface, which is beneficial to improving the conductive reliability of the superconducting particles.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, each layer of metal conductive mesh 1 of the superconducting particles can be prepared by etching, punching or 3D printing, and then the multiple layers of metal conductive mesh 1 are stacked so that the corresponding metal contacts 11 in each layer of metal conductive mesh 1 are in contact, thereby realizing electrical connection between the layers of metal conductive mesh 1, thereby simplifying the preparation process of the superconducting particles and making the wire diameter and pore size of the metal conductive mesh 1 in the superconducting particles controllable, which is beneficial to improving the conductivity of the superconducting particles.

[0040] It should be noted that the heights of the first surface and / or the metal contacts 11 on the first surface along the first direction L1 should be the same, so that when the first surface and the second surface are in contact with the corresponding circuits of the PCB, the corresponding metal contacts 11 can both be in contact with the circuits, which is beneficial to improving the conductive reliability of the superconducting particles.

[0041] Optionally, the height H of the metal contact 11 along the first direction L1 ranges from 0.003mm to 100mm. When the height H of the metal contact 11 along the first direction L1 is less than 0.003mm, due to the small height H of the metal contact 11, when the first surface or the second surface of the superconducting particle contacts the corresponding circuit of the PCB, the metal contact 11 cannot be reliably electrically connected to the circuit, resulting in the inability to conduct or stably conduct the corresponding circuit; on the contrary, when the height H of the metal contact 11 along the first direction L1 is greater than 100mm, due to the excessive height H of the metal contact 11, it is easy to deform, resulting in the wear of some metal contacts 11 as the number of times the silicone key is used increases, resulting in different heights of the metal contacts 11, affecting the reliability of the superconducting particles. By limiting the height H of the metal contact 11 along the first direction L1 to between 0.003mm and 100mm, it can be ensured that when the first surface or the second surface of the superconducting particles contacts the corresponding circuit of the PCB, the metal contact 11 establishes a reliable electrical connection with the corresponding circuit, thereby improving the reliability of the silicone keypad.

[0042] Optionally, the diameter of the metal contact 11 along the first surface or the second surface has a value range of 1.5 mm to 10 mm. When the diameter of the metal contact 11 along the first surface or the second surface is less than 1.5 mm, due to the small diameter of the metal contact 11, when the first surface or the second surface of the superconducting particle contacts the corresponding circuit of the PCB, the metal contact 11 is easily worn, resulting in the metal contact 11 being unable to reliably connect to the circuit, thereby resulting in the inability to conduct or stably conduct the corresponding circuit; on the contrary, when the diameter of the metal contact 11 along the first surface or the second surface is greater than 10 mm, due to the large diameter of the metal contact 11, when the corresponding metal contact 11 is oxidized or dusty, it is impossible to ensure that the superconducting particle is in reliable contact with the circuit, thereby affecting the reliability of the superconducting particle. By limiting the diameter range of the metal contact 11 along the first surface or the first surface to between 1.5mm-10mm, it can further ensure that when the first surface or the second surface of the superconducting particles contacts the corresponding circuit of the PCB, the metal contact 11 establishes a reliable electrical connection with the corresponding circuit, thereby improving the reliability of the silicone key.

[0043] Optionally, the aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network has a value range of 20μm-200μm. When the aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network is less than 20μm, the aperture is too small, making it difficult for the elastomer material 20 to completely fill the aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network, so that after pressing the silicone key for many times, the superconducting particles are worn and deformed, affecting the reliability of the silicone key; on the contrary, when the aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network is greater than 200μm, the aperture is too large, so that the conductive reliability of the metal conductive mesh 1 is reduced, and the number of metal contacts 11 is too small, which leads to insufficient conductive reliability of the superconducting particles.

[0044] It should be noted that Figure 1 The example only shows the case where the shape of the hole in the three-dimensional conductive network is a rectangle (square), and does not limit the mesh form of the metal conductive mesh 1. This embodiment does not specifically limit the mesh form of the metal conductive mesh 1, as long as it can achieve the core invention of the present invention. Optionally, the shape of the hole in the three-dimensional conductive network includes at least one of a circle and a polygon, wherein the polygon includes but is not limited to a triangle, a rectangle, a rhombus, and a hexagon, so that the superconducting particles can select the mesh form of the metal conductive mesh 1 according to actual needs.

[0045] Based on the same concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a silicone button. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a silicone key provided in this embodiment, refer to Figure 3 As shown, the silicone key comprises a silicone switch 200 and superconducting particles 100 provided by any embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] In this embodiment, since the silicone keypad includes the superconducting particles provided in any embodiment of the present invention, the silicone keypad can achieve the beneficial effects of the superconducting particles provided in any embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to the above description for the similarities.

[0047] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A superconducting particle, characterized in that: include: A plurality of layers of metal conductive mesh are stacked; the plurality of layers of the metal conductive mesh form a three-dimensional conductive network with uniform pore size; Among them, the wire diameter of the metal conductive mesh ranges from 10 μm to 200 μm; along the first direction, the superconducting particles have a first surface and a second surface relative to each other, and the first surface and the second surface are respectively evenly provided with multiple metal contacts; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the metal conductive mesh.

2. The superconducting particle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Elastomeric material; the elastomeric material completely fills the pores of the three-dimensional conductive network.

3. The superconducting particle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of metal contacts are disposed on the metal conductive meshes on the first surface and the second surface.

4. The superconducting particle according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The height range of the metal contact along the first direction is: 0.003mm-100mm.

5. The superconducting particle according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The diameter of the metal contact along the first surface or the second surface ranges from 1.5 mm to 10 mm.

6. The superconducting particle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aperture of the three-dimensional conductive network ranges from 20 μm to 200 μm.

7. The superconducting particle according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The shape of the holes in the three-dimensional conductive network includes at least one of a circle and a polygon.

8. The superconducting particle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The superconducting particles are connected to the silicone switch in the form of contact sheets; and the elastic material is silicone.

9. The superconducting particle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal conductive mesh is at least one of a copper mesh, a titanium mesh or a copper alloy mesh.

10. A silicone key, characterized in that: It comprises a silica gel switch and the superconducting particles as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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