Connector mounting structure and connector mounting method

Abstract

To provide a connector mounting structure that can be adopted to electronic circuit components using a silicone film and can be easily connected to other electronic components such as substrates therearound, and a connector mounting method.SOLUTION: In a mounting structure 1 of a connector to an electronic circuit product 10, the electronic circuit product 10 includes a silicone film 11, and a circuit 12 and a terminal electrode 13 that are printed on the silicone film 11. The terminal electrode 13 is formed on a terminal portion of the silicone film 11 so as to cover the circuit 12. A reinforcing plate 14 covering the terminal electrode 13 is joined to the terminal portion of the silicone film 11. A through-hole 15 is provided so as to penetrate the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, the terminal electrode 13 and the reinforcing plate 14. A connection pin 16 is inserted into the through-hole 15 and is soldered to the terminal electrode 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector mounting structure and a connector mounting method. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic circuit products with circuits printed on a film substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film are used in flexible touch sensors, film heaters, etc. When connecting such electronic circuit products to a control IC board, etc., since PET film does not have sufficient heat resistance to withstand soldering, it is common to adhere a thick PET film to the terminal part and use a ZIF connector or to adopt a joint by crimping (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, in the case of electronic circuit products that use silicone film, which has excellent flexibility, as the film base material, there is a risk of the film tearing if mechanically joined by means of crimping, so it is difficult to adopt a connector mounting structure similar to that when using PET film. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-142796 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector mounting structure and a connector mounting method that can be used for electronic circuit components using a silicone film and that can be easily connected to other electronic components such as surrounding boards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention includes the following configurations. [1] A mounting structure of a connector for an electronic circuit product, The electronic circuit product includes a silicone film, and a circuit and a terminal electrode printed on the silicone film. the terminal electrode is formed on a terminal portion of the silicone film so as to cover the circuit, a reinforcing plate for covering the terminal electrodes is bonded to the terminal portion of the silicone film; a connector mounting structure, wherein through holes are provided penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrodes and the reinforcing plate, and connection pins are inserted into the through holes and soldered to the terminal electrodes. [2] The connector mounting structure described in [1], wherein the material constituting the silicone film is silicone rubber. [3] The connector mounting structure described in [1] or [2], wherein the reinforcing plate is a polyethylene terephthalate film. [4] A method for mounting a connector on an electronic circuit product, comprising the steps of: forming a circuit on a silicone film by printing; forming a terminal electrode covering the circuit on a terminal portion of the silicone film by printing; bonding a reinforcing plate covering the terminal electrodes to the terminal portions of the silicone film; providing through holes penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrodes, and the reinforcing plate; and inserting connection pins into the through holes and soldering them to the terminal electrodes. [5] The connector mounting method according to [4], wherein the material constituting the silicone film is silicone rubber. [6] The method for mounting a connector according to [4] or [5], wherein the reinforcing plate is a polyethylene terephthalate film. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a connector mounting structure and a connector mounting method are provided that can be used for electronic circuit components using a silicone film and that can easily connect to other electronic components such as surrounding boards. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a mounting structure of a connector according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector mounting structure of FIG. 1 taken along line II. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing how a circuit is formed on a silicone film, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing how terminal electrodes are formed on terminal portions of a silicone film, in which FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 4A. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing how a reinforcing plate is bonded to the terminal portion of silicone film 11, in which FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 5A. [Figure 6] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing how through holes are provided through a silicone film, a circuit, a terminal electrode, and a reinforcing plate. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing how solder is applied to the inside of a hole in a reinforcing plate. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 2 is a VV sectional view of the mounting structure of the connector in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Connector mounting structure> A connector mounting structure according to an embodiment is a mounting structure for a connector to an electronic circuit product, the electronic circuit product comprising a silicone film, and a circuit and a terminal electrode printed on the silicone film, the terminal electrode being formed so as to cover the circuit on a terminal portion of the silicone film, a reinforcing plate covering the terminal electrode being joined to the terminal portion of the silicone film, a through hole penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrode and the reinforcing plate being provided, and a connection pin being inserted into the through hole and soldered to the terminal electrode.

[0010] An example of the mounting structure of the connector of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions of the drawings shown in the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to them. Appropriate changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a connector mounting structure 1 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of the connector mounting structure 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0012] An electronic circuit product 10 in a connector mounting structure 1 includes a silicone film 11, and a circuit 12 and terminal electrodes 13 printed on the silicone film 11. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, circuits 12 are formed on the surface of a silicone film 11, and in the band-shaped terminal portion of the electronic circuit product 10, terminal electrodes 13 are formed along each of the three circuits 12 so as to cover the circuits 12.

[0013] The electronic circuit product 10 that employs the connector mounting structure 1 in its terminal portion is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a flexible touch sensor and a film heater.

[0014] The material constituting the silicone film 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a silicone material that has insulating properties and can be formed into a film, and silicone rubber is preferred because of its low compression set, excellent heat resistance, and high reliability.

[0015] The thickness of the silicone film 11 is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more, and even more preferably 150 μm or more. If the thickness of the silicone film 11 is equal to or more than the lower limit, sufficient mechanical strength is easily obtained, and the film is less likely to break, making processing easier. The thickness of the silicone film 11 is preferably 1000 μm or less, more preferably 500 μm or less, and even more preferably 300 μm or less. If the thickness of the silicone film 11 is equal to or less than the upper limit, excellent flexibility is easily obtained, the film is easily handled during production, and it is also advantageous in terms of cost. The preferable lower limit and upper limit of the thickness of the silicone film 11 can be arbitrarily combined, and for example, 50 to 1000 μm are preferable, 100 to 500 μm are more preferable, and 150 to 300 μm are more preferable.

[0016] The circuit 12 is a circuit formed by printing such as screen printing. In the example shown in FIG. 1, three linear circuits 12 are formed in parallel on the strip-shaped terminal portion of the silicone film 11 . The pattern of the circuit 12 formed on the silicone film 11 is not particularly limited, and can be designed appropriately depending on the application of the electronic circuit product 10.

[0017] The material constituting the circuit 12 is not particularly limited as long as it is conductive and printable, and silver paste is preferred because it can be screen printed at low cost and has a low resistance value.

[0018] The terminal electrodes 13 are formed on the terminal portions of the silicone film 11 so as to cover the circuits 12 . An example of the material that constitutes the terminal electrodes 13 is solder paste. There are no particular limitations on the solder paste as long as it has sufficient wettability and conductivity to allow the solder to spread, and copper paste is preferred because of its low cost and low resistance.

[0019] The reinforcing plate 14 is bonded to the side of the terminal portion of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 and the terminal electrodes 13 are formed, so as to cover the circuit 12 and the terminal electrodes 13 . Furthermore, the reinforcing plate 14 may be additionally bonded to the silicone film 11. In that case, the pins can be held even more firmly. For example, a resin film having insulating properties can be used as the reinforcing plate 14. Specific examples include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), etc. Among them, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film is preferable because it is inexpensive and has good processability.

[0020] The thickness of the reinforcing plate 14 is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more, and even more preferably 150 μm or more. If the thickness of the reinforcing plate 14 is equal to or more than the lower limit, the reinforcing effect of the reinforcing plate 14 is easily obtained sufficiently. The thickness of the reinforcing plate 14 is preferably 1000 μm or less, more preferably 500 μm or less, and even more preferably 300 μm or less. If the thickness of the reinforcing plate 14 is equal to or less than the upper limit, space can be saved when using the terminal, and it is also advantageous in terms of cost. The preferable lower limit and upper limit of the thickness of the reinforcing plate 14 can be arbitrarily combined, and for example, 50 to 1000 μm are preferable, 100 to 500 μm are more preferable, and 150 to 300 μm are more preferable.

[0021] The method for bonding the reinforcing plate 14 to the side of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 and the terminal electrodes 13 are formed is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method in which bonding is performed via an adhesive layer. Examples of materials for the adhesive layer include a known curing adhesive (a liquid adhesive before adhesion) or a pressure-sensitive adhesive (a gel-like pressure-sensitive adhesive before adhesion). The adhesive layer may be a substrate-type adhesive layer in which an adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive is disposed on both sides of a substrate, or a known double-sided tape. Examples of adhesives and pressure sensitive adhesives include acrylic resins, urethane resins, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers. The curable adhesive may be a solvent type that contains a solvent that volatilizes when cured, or a hot melt type. The average thickness of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited and can be, for example, 1 to 75 μm.

[0022] In the connector mounting structure 1, a through hole 15 is provided in the terminal portion, penetrating the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, the terminal electrode 13, and the reinforcing plate 14. A connection pin 16 for electrically connecting the electronic circuit product 10 to a surrounding substrate or the like is inserted into the through hole 15, and the connection pin 16 is soldered to the terminal electrode 13.

[0023] The inner diameter of the through hole 15 that passes through the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, and the terminal electrode 13 is equal to the diameter of the connection pin 16, and the connection pin 16 inserted into the through hole 15 is in contact with the circuit 12 and the terminal electrode 13. In the example shown in Figure 2, the inner diameter of the portion of through hole 15 that penetrates reinforcing plate 14 is larger than the diameter of connection pin 16, and connection pin 16 is fixed in place by filling that portion with solder 17.

[0024] The tip portion of connection pin 16 on the reinforcing plate 14 side protrudes from the surface of reinforcing plate 14. In addition, the tip portion of connection pin 16 on the silicone film 11 side protrudes from the surface of silicone film 11. The tip portions of connection pin 16 protruding from reinforcing plate 14 and silicone film 11 on both sides can be used as terminals to be connected to other electronic components such as surrounding boards.

[0025] The connection pins 16 may be metallic pins having electrical conductivity. The metal constituting the connection pin 16 may be, for example, beryllium copper or brass. The diameter of the connection pin 16 can be appropriately designed according to other electronic components to be connected, and can be, for example, 0.8 to 1.0 mm.

[0026] As described above, in the connector mounting structure 1, the reinforcing plate 14 is provided on the side of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 and terminal electrodes 13 are printed at the terminal portion of the electronic circuit product 10, and the connection pins 16 are inserted into and soldered to through holes 15 that penetrate the silicone film 11. The silicone film 11 has superior heat resistance compared to PET film, so it is possible to solder the connection pins 16. In the connector mounting structure 1, the connection pins 16 can be used as terminals to easily connect to other electronic components such as a board.

[0027] Furthermore, while it is generally difficult to bond a silicone film to other components with an adhesive, the circuit 12 and terminal electrodes 13 can be bonded to the reinforcing plate 14 with sufficient strength using an adhesive, etc. Therefore, by providing the reinforcing plate 14 on the side of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 and terminal electrodes 13 are printed, they can be easily bonded together. Furthermore, when silicone film 11 is used as the film substrate, the terminal portion tends to stretch easily, but by providing reinforcing plate 14, excellent dimensional stability can be imparted to the terminal portion.

[0028] The use of the connector mounting structure 1 is not particularly limited, and it can be used, for example, as a connector for connecting a touch sensor to a control IC board or the like, a connector for a film heater, and the like.

[0029] <Connector mounting method> A method for mounting a connector according to an embodiment is a method for mounting a connector on an electronic circuit product, and includes the following steps (i) to (v). (i) Forming a circuit on a silicone film by printing. (ii) Forming terminal electrodes covering the circuit on the terminal portions of the silicone film by printing. (iii) bonding a reinforcing plate covering the terminal electrodes to the terminal portions of the silicone film; (iv) Providing through holes penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrodes and the reinforcing plate. (v) Inserting a connection pin into the through hole and soldering it to the terminal electrode. Hereinafter, as an example of a method for mounting a connector according to an embodiment, a case of mounting a connector such as the connector mounting structure 1 will be described.

[0030] (Step (i)) 3(A) and 3(B), a circuit 12 is formed by printing using silver ink or the like on the surface of a silicone film 11. The surface of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 is to be formed may be subjected to a surface treatment such as UV irradiation or corona discharge as a pretreatment to improve wettability. The printing method for forming the circuit 12 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, screen printing.

[0031] (Step (ii)) As shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), terminal electrodes 13 covering circuits 12 are formed on a silicone film 11 by printing using a solder paste. The printing method for forming the terminal electrodes 13 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, screen printing.

[0032] (Step (iii)) As shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B), a reinforcing plate 14 is bonded to the side of the terminal portion of the silicone film 11 on which the circuit 12 and the terminal electrodes 13 are formed, so as to cover the terminal electrodes 13. The reinforcing plate 14 may be bonded, for example, with an adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0033] The reinforcing plate 14 is preferably a resin film having holes 14a pre-drilled at the locations where the connection pins 16 are to be inserted and soldered. The method for making the holes 14a in the reinforcing plate 14 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method using a punching machine.

[0034] (Step (iv)) As shown in Figure 6, in the terminal portion of the electronic circuit product 10, a hole is opened inside the hole 14a of the reinforcing plate 14, penetrating the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, and the terminal electrode 13, and a through hole 15 is formed penetrating the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, the terminal electrode 13, and the reinforcing plate 14. The method for making holes penetrating the silicone film 11, the circuit 12, and the terminal electrodes 13 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method using a punching machine.

[0035] (Process (v)) As shown in FIG. 7, solder 17 is applied to the inside of hole 14a of reinforcing plate 14, and then connection pin 16 is inserted into through hole 15. Solder 17 is melted and then solidified, thereby soldering connection pin 16 to terminal electrode 13. The solder 17 can be melted by, for example, reflow or by using a hot air gun.

[0036] By carrying out the above-described steps (i) to (v), the connector mounting structure 1 can be obtained.

[0037] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described connector mounting structure 1 and its manufacturing method. For example, a connector mounting structure according to another example of the embodiment may include a socket at a terminal portion of an electronic wiring component. Specifically, it may be the connector mounting structure 2 illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. The connector mounting structure 2 has the same configuration as the connector mounting structure 1, except that a socket 18 surrounding a connection pin 16 is provided on a reinforcing plate 14 of the terminal portion.

[0038] In the mounting structure of the connector, an insulating layer covering the circuit and the terminal electrodes may be provided on the reinforcing plate side of the silicone film. Even when an insulating layer is provided on the reinforcing plate side of the silicone film, the reinforcing plate can be easily bonded to the silicone film with an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like.

[0039] The insulating material constituting the insulating layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include acrylic resin, polyester resin, polystyrene resin, polyamide resin, chlorinated polyolefin resin, chlorinated ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, chlorinated vinyl-vinyl acetate copolymer, cyclized rubber, and coumarone-indene resin. The insulating material constituting the insulating layer may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0040] In addition, within the scope of the invention, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components, and the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Connector mounting structure 2. Connector mounting structure 10 Electronic circuit products 11 Silicone film 12 Circuits 13 Terminal electrode 14 Reinforcement plate 15 through hole 16 connection pins 17 Solder 18 Sockets

Claims

1. A mounting structure for a connector to an electronic circuit product, The electronic circuit product includes a silicone film, and a circuit and a terminal electrode printed on the silicone film. the terminal electrode is formed on a terminal portion of the silicone film so as to cover the circuit, a reinforcing plate for covering the terminal electrodes is bonded to the terminal portion of the silicone film; a connector mounting structure, wherein through holes are provided penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrodes and the reinforcing plate, and connection pins are inserted into the through holes and soldered to the terminal electrodes.

2. 2. The connector mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the material constituting the silicone film is silicone rubber.

3. 2. The connector mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing plate is a polyethylene terephthalate film.

4. A method for mounting a connector on an electronic circuit product, comprising the steps of: forming a circuit on a silicone film by printing; forming a terminal electrode covering the circuit on a terminal portion of the silicone film by printing; bonding a reinforcing plate covering the terminal electrodes to the terminal portions of the silicone film; providing through holes penetrating the silicone film, the circuit, the terminal electrodes, and the reinforcing plate; and inserting connection pins into the through holes and soldering them to the terminal electrodes.

5. 5. The connector mounting method according to claim 4, wherein the material constituting the silicone film is silicone rubber.

6. 5. The connector mounting method according to claim 4, wherein the reinforcing plate is a polyethylene terephthalate film.

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