KR102728551B1 - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector, and a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a connector module including an insulating body and a plurality of contact pins positioned on opposite sides of the insulating body in the width direction; and a multilayer substrate portion on which the connector module is mounted, the circuit pattern being formed such that a via hole is positioned at a lower portion of the insulating body.

Description

Connector {Connector}

The present application relates to a connector, and more particularly, to a connector whose size is minimized by changing the location of a via hole.

Board-to-board connectors are used to connect printed circuit boards (PCBs) or electronic components with patterned conductors. In particular, board-to-board connectors (B2B connectors) include plug connectors and receptacle connectors, each of which is connected to a different board, and by combining the plug connector and the receptacle connector, signal transmission through different boards can be enabled.

Recent electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, smart TVs, computers, tablet PCs, displays, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3s, game consoles, navigation systems, etc.) are becoming more high-performance, faster, more integrated, and smaller (thinner) thanks to the advancement of IT technology. Accordingly, the demand for smaller board connectors is also increasing.

The present application seeks to provide a connector capable of achieving miniaturization by positioning a via hole of a substrate at the bottom of an insulating body.

The present application seeks to provide a connector including an improved contact pin shape that allows a via hole to be positioned at the bottom of an insulating body.

A connector according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a connector module (110) including an insulating body (111) and a plurality of contact pins (112) positioned on both sides of the width direction of the insulating body (111); and a multilayer substrate portion (120) on which the connector module (110) is mounted, and on which a circuit pattern is formed such that a via hole (V) is positioned at the bottom of the insulating body (111).

Here, the insulating body (111) includes a bar-shaped body portion (A) and an insertion groove portion (B) concavely formed on the upper surface of the body portion (A), and the contact pin (112) has one end in contact with the substrate portion (120) and the other end fixed to the outer surface of the body portion (A), and may be bent along the shape of the insulating body (111) so as to be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B).

Here, the contact pin (112) may include a mounting portion (C1) formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and electrically connected by soldering on the substrate portion (120); a chamfer portion (Chamfer, C2) bent at a first angle (P1) from the mounting portion (C1) and spaced apart from the substrate portion (120); a contact portion (C3) bent at a second angle (P2) from the chamfer portion (C2) and exposed within the insertion groove portion (B); and a fixing portion (C4) bent so as to cover the upper surface and the outer surface of the body portion (A).

Here, the contact pin (112) may include a mounting portion (D1) formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and electrically connected by soldering on the substrate portion (120); a chamfered portion (D2) bent at a third angle (P3) from the mounting portion (D1) and spaced apart from the substrate portion (120); a flat portion (D3) bent from the chamfered portion (D2) and extending parallel to the substrate portion (120); a contact portion (D4) bent at a fourth angle (P4) from the flat portion (D3) and exposed into the insertion groove portion (B); and a fixed portion (D5) bent so as to cover the upper surface and the outer surface of the body portion (A).

Here, the substrate portion (120) can form the via hole (V) on the first area (TA) located at the bottom of the chamfer portion (C2).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a connector can minimize the size of a substrate by positioning a via hole included in a substrate portion at the bottom of an insulating body, thereby enabling miniaturization of the connector.

A connector according to one embodiment of the present invention uses a contact pin including a chamfer portion, so that a space for positioning a via hole at the bottom of an insulating body can be secured. That is, it is possible to provide a via hole at the bottom while maintaining the size of the insulating body.

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a contact pin according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic component module including a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a plan view showing a conventional connector.
Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional connector and contact pins.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, preferred embodiments will be described in detail so that those with ordinary skill in the art can easily practice the present invention. However, when describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts that perform similar functions and actions.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this includes not only the case where it is 'directly connected' but also the case where it is 'indirectly connected' with another element in between. Also, 'including' a component means that it can include other components rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise.

In addition, in the specification below, the 'connector' according to one embodiment of the present invention may include both a receptacle connector and a plug connector. In other words, the 'connector' in the specification may be either a receptacle connector or a plug connector.

Additionally, although the specification below describes the connector as being mounted or connected to a substrate, this is only an example, and the connector may be connected not only to the substrate but also to other electronic elements such as conductive wires.

Figures 1 and 2 are an exploded perspective view and a perspective view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a connector (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a connector module (110) and a substrate portion (120).

A connector (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 below.

The connector module (110) may include an insulating body (111), a plurality of contact pins (112) located on both sides in the width direction of the insulating body (111), and a guide member (113).

The insulating body (111) may be made of an insulating material that does not conduct electricity, and the contact pins (112) and the guide member (113) may be combined with the insulating body (111). The insulating body (111) may be manufactured by insert molding together with the contact pins (112), and according to an embodiment, the insulating body (111) may be manufactured by molding and then the contact pins (112) may be assembled into the insulating body (111). The guide member (113) may be assembled to both ends of the insulating body (111). In addition, the insulating body (111) may have a length in a first direction and a width in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

Here, when the connector (100) is a plug connector, the insulating body (111) may include a bar-shaped body portion (A) and an insertion groove (B) concavely formed on an upper surface of the body portion. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an insertion groove (B) extending in the longitudinal direction may be formed in the bar-shaped body portion (A), and a counterpart (not illustrated) such as a receptacle connector may be inserted into the insertion groove (B). At this time, the counterpart may form an electrical contact with the connector (100) within the insertion groove (B) by the contact pin (112) exposed within the insertion groove (B). A plurality of contact pins (112) exposed within the insertion groove (B) may be arranged at a predetermined pitch.

The contact pin (112) may be made of a conductive material such as metal, and may be provided for electrical connection between the counterpart and the substrate portion (120). That is, one end of the contact pin (112) may be exposed from the insulating body (111) and may come into contact with the substrate portion (120), and another area of the contact pin (112) may be exposed from the insulating body (111) for coming into contact with the counterpart. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the contact pin (112) may be bent along the shape of the insulating body (111) so as to be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B), and may be formed so that one end comes into contact with the substrate portion (120) and the other end is fixed to the outer surface of the body portion (A).

The guide member (113) may be provided to guide the connection with the counterpart and to reinforce the strength of the connector module (110). That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide member (113) may be connected to both ends of the insulating body (111) to guide the movement of the counterpart and prevent the insulating body (111) from being damaged by impact or pressure applied by the counterpart.

A connector module (110) may be mounted on the substrate portion (120), and other electronic components mounted on the substrate portion (120) may be electrically connected to the connector module (110) by a circuit pattern formed on the substrate portion (120). Here, the substrate portion (120) may be implemented by various types of substrates such as a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and an FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board), and according to an embodiment, a multilayer substrate including a plurality of layers may be used. In the case of a multilayer substrate, a via hole may be included for electrical connection between each layer. That is, the substrate portion (120) may form a circuit pattern including a via hole (V), and at this time, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the via hole (V) may be positioned at the bottom of the insulating body (111).

In the past, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the substrate (12) such as an FPCB was implemented so that the via hole (V) was located outside the connector module (11). However, in this case, since the area for forming the via hole (V) must be secured, there is a limit to the miniaturization of the substrate such as the FPCB. To solve this, the substrate portion (120) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be formed so that the via hole (V) is located at the bottom of the insulating body (111), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case, it is possible to reduce the size of the substrate portion (120) such as the FPCB by the area secured for the shape of the conventional via hole (V).

However, since the space under the insulating body (111) is narrow, when a via hole (V) is formed under the insulating body (111), it may be difficult to simultaneously implement mounting of the connector module (110) and formation of the via hole (V). Here, it is possible to secure the space under the insulating body (111) by extending the width of the insulating body (111), but in this case, since the size of the insulating body (111) eventually increases, it may be difficult to substantially miniaturize the connector (100). To solve this problem, the connector (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may utilize a contact pin with an improved shape.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), by implementing the shape of the contact pin (112), it is possible to secure a space for forming a via hole (v) while maintaining the width of the connector module (110).

First, the first embodiment of the contact pin (112) may include a mounting portion (C1), a chamfer portion (C2), a contact portion (C3), and a fixing portion (C4), as shown in FIG. 5(a).

The mounting portion (C1) can be formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and can be electrically connected by being soldered on the substrate portion (120). That is, the mounting portion (C1) corresponds to a configuration formed to mount the connector module (110) on the substrate portion (120).

The chamfer portion (C2) corresponds to a configuration in which it is bent at a first angle (P1) from the mounting portion (C1) and spaced apart from the substrate portion (120). That is, it can be bent at a preset first angle (P1) and spaced apart from the substrate portion (120), and a via hole (V) can be formed in the first area (TA) at the bottom of the chamfer portion (C2) secured by the chamfer portion (C2).

The contact portion (C3) corresponds to a configuration in which it is bent from the chamfer portion (C2) at a second angle (P2) and exposed within the insertion groove portion (B). That is, as illustrated in Fig. 5(a), the contact portion (C3) can be bent perpendicularly to the substrate portion (120) and can be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B) to form an electrical contact with a counterpart inserted into the insertion groove portion (B). Here, the first angle (P1) can be formed to be greater than the second angle (P2).

The fixed portion (C4) can be bent to cover the upper surface and the outer surface of the body portion (A). That is, the fixed portion (C4) can fix the contact pin (112) so that it is in close contact with the body portion (A). In addition, when the counterpart is inserted, the fixed portion (C4) can support the counterpart, and according to the embodiment, it is also possible to form an electrical contact with the counterpart, thereby forming a double contact at the contact portion (C3) and the fixed portion (C4).

Meanwhile, depending on the embodiment, it is also possible to implement the contact pin (112) as shown in Fig. 5(b). That is, according to the second embodiment of the contact pin (112), it may include a mounting portion (D1), a chamfer portion (D2), a flat portion (D3), a contact portion (D4), and a fixing portion (D5).

The mounting portion (D1) can be formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and can be electrically connected by being soldered on the substrate portion (120). That is, the mounting portion (D1) corresponds to a configuration formed to mount the connector module (110) on the substrate portion (120).

The chamfer portion (D2) can be bent from the mounting portion (D1) at a third angle (P3) and separated from the substrate portion (120). That is, it can be separated upwards at a preset third angle (P3) and separated from the substrate portion (120).

The flat portion (D3) can be bent from the chamfer portion (D2) and extended parallel to the substrate portion (120). That is, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the first area (TA) can be secured by the chamfer portion (D2) and the flat portion (D3), and a via hole (V) can be formed on the first area (TA).

The contact portion (D4) is bent from the flat portion (D3) at a fourth angle (P4) and can be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B). That is, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the contact portion (D4) can be positioned vertically and can be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B) to form an electrical contact with a counterpart inserted into the insertion groove portion (B). Here, the third angle (P3) can be formed to be greater than the fourth angle (P4).

The fixed portion (D5) can be bent to cover the upper surface and outer surface of the body portion (A), and the contact pin (112) can be fixed on the body portion (A) by the fixed portion (D5).

Here, when implementing the contact pin (112) as in the second embodiment, the contact area with the insulating body (111) can be improved. Accordingly, it can be stably fixed to the insulating body (111) during insert molding, and the problem of underfilling can occur relatively less during injection. In addition, by preventing the phenomenon of wicking, etc., it is possible to prevent component defects such as short circuits.

Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a connector (100) and an electronic component (E) may be combined to form an electronic component module (200). That is, after an electronic component (E) is additionally mounted on a substrate (120) to form an electronic component module (200), the electronic component module (200) may be connected to another substrate such as a main board. For example, a camera module (E) for a mobile phone may be additionally mounted on the substrate (120) to implement a camera module (200), and the camera module (200) may be assembled into a mobile phone by connecting the camera module (200) to a main board of the mobile phone using the connector (100).

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the attached drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that components according to the present invention can be substituted, modified, and changed within a scope that does not depart from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100: Connector 110: Connector module
111: Insulating body 112: Contact pin
120: Substrate

Claims (5)

A connector module (110) including an insulating body (111) and a plurality of contact pins (112) positioned on both sides of the width direction of the insulating body (111); and
The above connector module (110) is mounted, and includes a multilayer substrate portion (120) having a plurality of layers so that a via hole (V) for electrical connection between a plurality of layers on which a circuit pattern is formed is located at the bottom of the insulating body (111).
A connector (100) characterized in that the insulating body (111) has a length in a first direction and a width in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and includes a bar-shaped body portion (A) and an insertion groove portion (B) concavely formed on the upper surface of the body portion (A).
In the first paragraph,
A connector (100) characterized in that the contact pin (112) has one end in contact with the substrate portion (120), the other end is fixed to the outer surface of the body portion (A), and is bent along the shape of the insulating body (111) so as to be exposed within the insertion groove portion (B).
In the first paragraph, the contact pin (112)
A mounting portion (C1) formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and electrically connected by soldering on the substrate portion (120);
A chamfer portion (Chamfer, C2) bent at a first angle (P1) from the above-mentioned mounting portion (C1) and spaced apart from the above-mentioned substrate portion (120);
A contact portion (C3) that is bent at a second angle (P2) from the chamfer portion (C2) and exposed within the insertion groove portion (B); and
A connector (100) characterized by including a fixed portion (C4) that is bent to cover the upper surface and outer surface of the body portion (A).
In the first paragraph, the contact pin (112)
A mounting portion (D1) formed parallel to the substrate portion (120) and electrically connected by soldering on the substrate portion (120);
A chamfer portion (D2) bent at a third angle (P3) from the above-mentioned mounting portion (D1) and spaced apart from the above-mentioned substrate portion (120);
A flat portion (D3) that is bent from the chamfer portion (D2) and extends parallel to the substrate portion (120);
A contact portion (D4) that is bent at a fourth angle (P4) from the above flat portion (D3) and exposed into the insertion groove portion (B); and
A connector (100) characterized by including a fixed portion (D5) that is bent to cover the upper surface and outer surface of the body portion (A).
In the third paragraph, the substrate part (120)
A connector (100) characterized in that the via hole (V) is formed on the first area (TA) located at the lower end of the chamfer portion (C2).

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