JPH02117077A - Connector structure for integrated circuit having metallic substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To aim at miniaturization and decrease in cost by using a part of metallic substrates as a connector housing. CONSTITUTION:In an opening formed at one end of a case integrated circuit 10, a partition wall 28 for closing the opening is disposed in such a manner as to be withdrawn inward by a predetermined distance. Upper and lower substrates 16a and 16b positioned before the partition wall 28 are used as the connector housing 30 of a male connector 12. This can reduce the number of parts in the integrated circuit 10 so as to obtain a small-size and inexpensive device.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a connector for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate, in which a conductive foil is adhered to the metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed thereto. Regarding structure.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, an integrated circuit having a so-called metal substrate, in which a conductive foil is pasted on the metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-13234. There are known techniques for The integrated circuit manufacturing method disclosed in this prior art includes the steps of anodizing at least one surface of an aluminum substrate to form a thin aluminum oxide layer on the substrate surface, and forming a resistor material on the aluminum oxide thin layer. and a step of forming a plurality of circuit elements by selectively depositing a good conductor material; and a step of fixing a transistor pellet on the lead portion formed by selectively depositing a good conductor material; The method is characterized by including a step of sealing all of the circuit elements with an insulating resin.

In the integrated circuit formed in this way, heat generated from resistors, transistors, etc. during operation can be dissipated quickly and effectively, making it possible to integrate output circuits, etc. .

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The integrated circuit formed as described above may be adopted for use in vehicles from the viewpoint of its small size and low cost. However, when such an integrated circuit is actually used in a vehicle, it is necessary to take advantage of its small size and low cost while also reliably connecting it to other control parts of the vehicle.

Here, when using a conventional connector as a connecting device, this connector has its own unique housing, is relatively large, and is not cheap, so it is necessary to make the integrated circuit itself smaller and lower in cost. Even so, problems have been pointed out that prevent it from fully demonstrating its benefits.

This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit having a metal substrate in which a conductive foil is pasted on the metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector structure that can reliably reduce the size and cost of a circuit when the connector is connected to the integrated circuit.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, a connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate according to the present invention includes a conductive foil on the metal substrate via an insulating layer. A connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate to which a circuit element is attached and a circuit element is fixed is characterized in that a part of the metal substrate is used as a connector housing.

[Function] The integrated circuit connector structure having the metal substrate configured as described above does not have its own independent housing.
A portion of the metal substrate of the integrated circuit is configured to be used as a connector housing. By constructing the connector housing from a part of the metal substrate in this way, the number of parts can be reduced, and size and cost can be reduced.

[Example] The configuration of an example of a connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Explain in detail.

FIG. 1 shows an integrated circuit 10 used in this embodiment. The integrated circuit 10 is configured as an independent functional component for a vehicle, and specifically, is configured as an integrated circuit that independently functions as, for example, an engine control unit.

As shown in the figure, this integrated circuit 10 is formed as a box-shaped case with a closed interior, and a male connector 12 as a connecting device, which is a feature of the present invention, is integrally attached to one end. ing. The male connector 12 will be described in detail later, but is configured to be connected to a commonly used female connector 14.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3B, this integrated circuit 1o includes a pair of circuit boards 16a and 1 that are vertically spaced apart.
6b, a side plate 18 for separating the side substrates 16a, 16b by a predetermined distance and closing the side surfaces, and a frame 20 for integrally fixing these side substrates 16a, 16b and the side plate 18. There is.

Specifically, the side substrates 16a and 16b include IC chips necessary to perform the function as an engine control unit.
Circuit elements such as resistors and capacitors are attached. Here, the side substrate 16a.

16b is one common substrate 22 as shown in FIG. 4A.
It is set to be formed by dividing into two pieces.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4B, the common substrate 22 includes a substrate body 22a made of a conductive material, for example, metal such as aluminum, and an insulating layer adhered to the front surface of the substrate body 22a. 22b, and on this insulating layer 22b,
It is formed from a conductive foil 22c that is formed in a predetermined circuit pattern and defines a circuit network, and a circuit element 22d that is fixed and electrically connected to the conductive foil 22c.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the common substrate 22 has an opening 22e formed in advance in the central portion thereof, which extends in the vertical direction. Here, the circuit networks in the left and right portions are connected to each other via a flexible substrate 22f provided across the opening 22e.

Then, by cutting out both upper and lower edges (areas indicated by symbols X and Y) including both upper and lower edges of this opening 22e,
It is set so that the pair of substrates 16a and 16b described above are formed.

Note that one of the substrates 16a (the left substrate in FIG. 48, the second
In the figure, the upper surface of the outer end of the lower board), that is, the inner surface of the end that defines one end on the opening side of the case when they are vertically spaced apart and facing each other, and is At the displaced position, a plurality of connection terminals 22g are formed in a horizontal row along the edge. In addition, a plurality of connection pins 24 of the male connector 12, which will be described later, are connected to these connection terminals 22g.
They are fixed to each other so as to protrude outward and are electrically connected.

Further, the above-mentioned side plate 18 is formed in a U-shape on the upper surface with the minus side open, and the open side is set to become one end of the case.

Step portions 18a and 18b are formed at the inner edges of both upper and lower end surfaces of the side plate 18 to receive the three edges of the corresponding substrates 16a and 16b, respectively.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, each of the substrates 16a, 16b has a seal rubber 26 attached to the corresponding step portion 18a, 18b.
It is inserted through. By interposing this seal rubber 26, dust is prevented from entering the case from between these rubbers.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the frame body 20 described above is formed so as to sandwich and surround the side surface closed by the side plate 18 from above and below. That is, this frame 20
is a main body 20a facing the side plate 18, and this main body 20a.
from both the upper and lower ends of the
6a.

The flange portions 20b, 2 extend inward by a distance sufficient to hold the three unopened edges of the flange portion 16b, respectively.
2c.

As shown in FIG. 3B, this frame body 20 includes upper and lower substrates 1 fitted into upper and lower step portions 18a and 18b of the side plate 18, respectively.
By sandwiching 6a and 16b from above and below, the case is integrally formed. In addition, as shown in the figure, the circuit elements 22d of both the upper and lower substrates 16a, 16b
The flexible substrate 22f that connects the side plates 18 to
It is set to be located more inward than the other end portion 18c.

Since the frame body 20 is formed in this way, the side plate 1
Both substrates 16a with 8 interposed therebetween.

16b will be maintained in an assembled state while being separated vertically by a predetermined distance. That is, in this embodiment, the integrated circuit 10 is formed in the shape of a case, and the upper and lower surfaces of the case are connected to the substrates 16a and 1.
6b. As a result, both substrates 16a.

Compared to the case where the 16b is housed in a separately prepared case, the size and weight can be reduced.

Next, a connector structure as a connecting device for connecting the case-shaped integrated circuit 10 configured as described above to a controlled portion of a vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

This connection device includes a male connector 12 that is attached to an opening at one end of a case-shaped integrated circuit 10 with a so-called inner bone.
and a female connector 14 which is detachably connected to the male connector 12.

First, a partition wall 28 is attached to an opening at one end of the case-shaped integrated circuit 10 described above, which closes the opening when pulled inward by a predetermined distance. The portions of the upper and lower substrates 16a and 16b located on the tip side (opening side) of the portion where the partition wall 28 is provided are defined to be used also as the connector housing 3o of the male connector 12, which will be described below. ing.

Here, the male connector 12 has a connector housing 30 defined as described above and a plurality of pairs of transparent conductors formed in the extending direction of the connector housing 30 and the partition wall 28, which are vertically spaced apart from each other. Holes 32a, 32b (here, the upper row of through holes are indicated by reference numeral 32a, and the lower row of through holes are indicated by reference numeral 32b)
Indicated by ), and the above-mentioned connecting pin 24, which is attached so as to pass through each through hole 32a, 32b.

Because of the vertical arrangement of the through holes 32a and 32b, every other connection pin 24 arranged horizontally is penetrated by the upper through hole 32a, and every other connection pin 24 is arranged horizontally in a row. The one is set so as to be penetrated into the lower through hole 32b while being biased laterally.

Note that the length of the connection pin 24 that passes through the lower through-hole 32b is set to be shorter than the length of the connection pin 24 that passes through the upper through-hole 32a. Therefore, in order to ensure heat dissipation when soldering the connection pin 24 to the corresponding connection terminal 22g, the length is set to be sufficient.
As shown in the figure, the so-called 8 is rounded in the middle.
A portion 32 is formed. As described above, by having the three portions 34, the length of the connecting bottle 24 that is penetrated by the lower through hole 32b is set to be approximately the same as the length of the connecting bottle 24 that is penetrated by the upper through hole 32a, A similar heat dissipation effect will be exhibited.

Moreover, by forming the third part 34 in the connection bottle 24 penetrated by the lower through-hole 32b, this three part 34
However, it functions as a shock absorber. As a result,
In addition to the above-mentioned heat dissipation properties, sufficient impact is ensured when the connectors are connected, and the corresponding connection terminals 2 of the connection bins 24 are
This will prevent deviation from 2g.

In this embodiment, the vertical separation distance and the horizontal arrangement pitch p of these connecting bins 24 are defined based on the specifications of the conventionally used bin arrangement.

As a result, the female connector 14 to be connected to the male connector 12 integrally attached and formed on the case-shaped integrated circuit 1O can be of a conventional type. This improves economic efficiency.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the above-mentioned upper board 16a is formed with a locking hole 38 into which an engagement boss 36 protruding and formed on the upper surface of the female connector 14 is inserted and locked. ing. The engagement boss 36 is integrally formed on the top surface of the female connector 14 at the tip of an elastic piece 40 that is elastically displaced upward. The engagement between the engagement boss 36 and the locking hole 38 ensures that the female connector 14 remains connected to the male connector 12 once it is attached to the male connector 12. will be done.

In this embodiment, since the integrated circuit 10 is configured to include the above-mentioned partition wall 28, the partition wall 28 functions as a stopper when the female connector 14 is inserted. Accidental disconnection of the circuit inside the integrated circuit 10 due to over-insertion of the connector 14 is reliably prevented. Furthermore, by providing this partition wall 28, the inside of the integrated circuit 10 is isolated from the outside,
The circuit element 22d is prevented from being contaminated by dust. Furthermore, since the partition wall 28 is provided, the rigidity of the case-shaped integrated circuit 10 itself is increased, and its strength is ensured.

Here, the conventionally used type of male connector is heavy and large, and in this embodiment, it is compatible with the case-shaped integrated circuit 10 which is smaller and lighter. A dedicated male connector 12 is formed using a part of the integrated circuit 10. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent the reduction in size and weight of the integrated circuit 10 described above from being impaired.

Further, in this embodiment, the connector housing 30 of the male connector 12 is connected to both the upper and lower boards 16a and 16b.
It is used in a dual-purpose state. As a result, these substrates 16a and 16b are connected to the conductive substrate main body 22.
a, the internal space of the connector housing 30 is substantially electromagnetically shielded, and the risk of unnecessary radio waves being mixed in from the connection bin 24 is reliably prevented, and the circuit element 22d is not susceptible to electromagnetic interference. It becomes difficult.

Furthermore, the integrated circuit IO of this embodiment is configured such that both upper and lower surfaces are defined by a pair of substrates 16a and 16b. As a result, according to this embodiment, the number of parts of the integrated circuit 10 is reduced, and the integrated circuit 10 is made smaller and less expensive.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substrates 16a,
16b is a conductive aluminum substrate body 22a and an insulating layer 22b stuck on this substrate body 22a.
and a conductive foil 22c adhered in a predetermined circuit pattern on the insulating layer 22b. As a result, the heat generated from the various circuit elements 22d can be radiated by using the aluminum board main body 22a as a heat sink, eliminating the need for a separate heat dissipation member, resulting in significant downsizing. will be achieved.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, since the upper and lower surfaces of the case are respectively constituted by a pair of substrates 16a and 16b having a substrate main body 22a made of aluminum, these substrates 16a.

16b can be used as an electromagnetic shielding member. As a result, this case-like integrated circuit lO
The internal space of the circuit element 2 is substantially electromagnetically shielded.
2d is less susceptible to electromagnetic interference.

It goes without saying that this invention is not limited to the structure of the one embodiment described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. A modification will be explained. In the various modifications and other embodiments described below, the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the integrated circuit 10 was explained to function as an engine control unit, but the integrated circuit 10 is not limited to this, and may be used, for example, as an automobile speed control device, a control device for four-wheel steering, or an automatic transmission control device. It can be configured to operate as a functional component of a control device or the like.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the male connector 12
It has been explained that the connection between the male connector 12 and the female connector 14 is achieved only by fitting the locking hole 38 formed on the top surface of the male connector 12 and the engagement boss 36 formed on the top surface of the female connector 14. However, this embodiment is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured as shown in FIG. 6 as a modified example of this embodiment.

That is, in the modified example shown in FIG. 6, one substrate 16a constituting the upper surface of the case-shaped integrated circuit 10 is
A plurality of guide ribs 42a, 42, for example, a pair of guide ribs protrude downward along the insertion direction of the female connector 14.
The female connector 14 may be formed by bending the connector 14 so as to have a guide groove 42a, 42b, and guide grooves (not shown) that fit into the guide ribs 42a and 42b, respectively, may be formed on the upper surface of the female connector 14.

By configuring the modified example in this way, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and furthermore, it is possible to reliably prevent so-called prying when connecting the male and female connectors 12 and 14. become.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, this connector structure includes a male connector 12 that is integrally attached to the integrated circuit 10, and a female connector 1 that is detachably connected to the male connector 12.
4, the connector structure of the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured as shown in FIG. 7 as another embodiment, for example.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in the connector structure of another embodiment, the connector that is integrally attached to the integrated circuit 1.0 is a female connector 14, and a male connector is connected to the female connector 14. The type connector 12 is configured to be detachably connected. By integrally forming the female connector 14 on the integrated circuit 10 in this way, the partition wall 28
It is no longer necessary to penetrate and attach the connection pin 24 to the female connector 14.
It becomes possible to use the terminal in a state where it also serves as a connection terminal, and the overall configuration is simplified.

Incidentally, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the female terminal 14
The connection terminals that make up the code are 22g.

As shown at 22h, the open end of the upper substrate 16a,
The opening end portion of the lower substrate 16b is configured to be formed therein. Therefore, this female connector 1
The male connector 12 connected to the upper and lower connecting terminals 2
Connection bins 24a and 24b connected to 2g and 22h, respectively
It is configured to have.

As described above, the connector structure according to the present invention can be similarly applied to either a male or female type connector provided integrally with the integrated circuit 0.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate according to the present invention has a structure in which a conductive foil is pasted on the metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed. , a connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate, characterized in that a part of the metal substrate is used as a connector housing.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in an integrated circuit in which a conductive foil is pasted on a metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed, the integrated circuit can be made smaller and lower in cost when a connector is connected to the integrated circuit. A connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate capable of achieving the above-described characteristics is provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an integrated circuit having a metal substrate according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the integrated circuit shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the integrated circuit shown in FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the configuration of a common board; FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing the configuration of the common board; FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a male connector attached to an integrated circuit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of a modified example of the integrated circuit of this embodiment; FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment of the connector structure according to the present invention. 34... R portion, 36... Engagement boss, 38... Locking hole, 40... Elastic piece, 42a; 42b... Guide groove (-modified example). In the diagram, 10... integrated circuit, 12... male connector,
14... Female connector, 16a; 16b... Circuit board, 18... Side root, 18a; 18b... Step portion, 20
... Frame, 20a... Main body, 20b:2'Oc...
- Flange portion, 22... Common board, 22a... Board body, 22b... Insulating layer, 22c... Conductive foil, 22
d...Circuit element. 22e...opening, 22f...flexible board,
22g: 22h...Connection terminal, 24...Connection bin (one embodiment), 24a+24b...Connection bin (other embodiments), 26...Seal rubber 28...Partition wall,
32... Connector housing, 32a: 32b.
・・Through hole, Figure 4A, Figure 4B, Figure 4, Figure 4, Figure 4B.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A connector structure for an integrated circuit having a metal substrate, in which a conductive foil is pasted on the metal substrate via an insulating layer and circuit elements are fixed, wherein a part of the metal substrate is connected to the connector. An integrated circuit connector structure having a metal substrate that is used as a housing.