JP2011204483A - Electrical connector and circuit board mounted with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical connector capable of preventing an electrostatic discharge function from being damaged in a step for mounting electronic parts on a circuit board, and to provide a circuit board, on which the electrical connector is mounted.SOLUTION: The electrical connector includes: a high-impedance part provided in a middle part of a conductor pin and having an impedance higher than other parts of the conductor pin; and a discharge route member formed from an electrical conductor, disposed to face the high-impedance part in one end thereof, and formed to be mounted on the circuit board in the other end thereof. With this structure, since an electrostatic discharge structure is integrally formed in the electrical connector, it is possible to prevent the electrostatic discharge function from being damaged in the step for mounting the electronic parts on the circuit board.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector and a circuit board on which the electrical connector is mounted, and more particularly, to an electrical connector that can reliably discharge static electricity applied through a mating connector to be connected to a ground line of the circuit board.

  An electrical connector is provided and connected to an external electrical device via a mating connector coupled to the electrical connector. On the circuit board, static electricity may be applied via the mating connector. In order to prevent the electronic component from being destroyed by static electricity, the conventional circuit board has a structure for discharging the static electricity to the ground line of the circuit board before the electronic component mounted on the circuit board. For example, a portion of a conductive pattern formed so as to conduct a connector terminal and an electronic component on a circuit board is provided with a portion with increased impedance, and a ground pattern as a ground line adjacent to the portion with increased impedance. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In this case, when static electricity is applied to the circuit board via the mating connector, this static electricity is discharged from the location where the impedance of the conductive pattern is increased to the adjacent ground pattern, and as a result, the static electricity is applied to the electronic component. Can be prevented.

JP 2001-7455 A

  However, the conventional electrostatic discharge structure in the conventional circuit board is formed as a part of the conductor pattern on the circuit board, and the distance between the high impedance portion and the ground pattern is reduced in order to facilitate discharge of static electricity. It is set. For this reason, in a process of mounting various electronic components on the circuit board, for example, a flow soldering process, the high impedance portion and the ground pattern may be short-circuited by solder. Alternatively, when the impedance of the ground pattern is high, the static electricity discharged to the ground pattern may further discharge from the ground pattern to another adjacent signal pattern, thereby destroying the electronic component.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector and a circuit board on which the electrical connector is mounted that can prevent the electrostatic discharge function from being impaired in the process of mounting electronic components on the circuit board.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the electrical connector according to claim 1 of the present invention, the circuit board is mounted on the circuit board and coupled to a mating connector which is an electrical connector connected to an external electrical device. An electrical connector for connecting the above electrical circuit to an external electrical device, formed from an electrical conductor, one end mounted on a circuit board, and the other end in contact with a mating terminal which is a connection terminal provided in the mating connector A high-impedance part that is provided in the middle of the connection terminal that can be formed and whose impedance is higher than the other part of the connection terminal, and a discharge part that is formed from an electrical conductor and that faces the high-impedance part And a discharge path member including a terminal portion connected to the ground pattern of the circuit board.

  According to the configuration described above, when static electricity is applied to the connection terminal via the counterpart terminal, this static electricity is more easily discharged because the voltage is increased at the high impedance part of the connection terminal. It is discharged to the discharge part of the discharge path member facing the high impedance part. Further, the static electricity discharged to the discharge path member flows to the ground pattern of the circuit board via the terminal portion of the discharge path member. Thereby, inside the electrical connector, static electricity is discharged to the ground pattern of the circuit board through the discharge path member. When the electrical connector is mounted on the circuit board, the end of the connection terminal is soldered to the conductor pattern of the circuit board. In the electrical connector of the present invention, the high impedance part and the high impedance part of the discharge path member are opposed to each other. Since the part to be performed, in other words, the electrostatic discharge part is separated from the soldering part, it is not short-circuited by the solder in the flow soldering process. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electrical connector that can prevent the electrostatic discharge function from being impaired in the process of mounting the electronic component on the circuit board.

  In the electrical connector according to claim 2 of the present invention, the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction in the high impedance portion of the connection terminal is set smaller than the cross-sectional area of the other part of the connection terminal. Yes.

  In the connection terminal, the resistance value of the portion where the cross-sectional area in the axial direction of the connection terminal, that is, the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the current flows is smaller than that of the general portion is larger than the resistance value of the general portion. In other words, the impedance increases. The connection terminal is usually formed in a rod shape from a conductive metal. Therefore, forming a portion having a smaller cross-sectional area than other portions can be easily performed by press working or the like. As described above, according to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, the electrical connector capable of preventing the electrostatic discharge function from being impaired in the process of mounting the electronic component on the circuit board while easily forming the high impedance portion. Can be provided.

  In the electrical connector according to claim 3 of the present invention, the discharge part is an inner peripheral surface of a through hole provided in the discharge path member so that the connection terminal is inserted, and the connection terminal is inserted into the through hole. And the high impedance portion is opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the through hole.

  According to the above-described configuration, the high impedance portion of the connection terminal is inserted into the through hole of the discharge path member. In other words, the discharge path member exists over the entire circumference on the outer circumference side of the high impedance portion. Therefore, when the electrical connector is assembled, even if the positional relationship between the connection terminal and the discharge path member varies, the discharge path member always exists near the high impedance part. It is possible to provide an electrical connector capable of preventing the electrostatic discharge function from being impaired in the process of mounting the electronic component on the circuit board by surely discharging from the discharge path member to the circuit board.

  The electrical connector according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the discharge path member includes a protrusion protruding toward the high impedance portion.

  Discharge from one of the two electrical conductors located apart from each other tends to occur as the distance between the two electrical conductors decreases. In other words, it discharges at a lower voltage. Therefore, since the protrusion has a smaller distance from the high impedance part than the other part of the discharge path member, the static electricity applied to the connection terminal is surely discharged from the high impedance part to the protrusion, and the circuit board has an electron. It is possible to provide an electrical connector capable of preventing the electrostatic discharge function from being impaired in the process of mounting the component.

  A circuit board according to claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 of the present invention is mounted thereon.

By mounting the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 of the present invention on a circuit board, electrostatic discharge is performed in a soldering process of the electrical connector and various electrical components to the circuit board. It can suppress that a function is impaired. Thereby, a circuit board having a high electrostatic discharge function can be provided.
It is a front view in the state where it mounted on the circuit board of the electrical connector by one embodiment of the present invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is IV arrow line view in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the coupling | bonding state of the electrical connector by one Embodiment of this invention, and a mating connector. It is sectional drawing in the modification of the electrical connector by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the other modification of the electrical connector by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the other modification of the electrical connector by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrical connector 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example the case where the electrical connector 1 is mounted on a circuit board 2.

  The circuit board 2 is mounted with various electric parts (not shown) such as a microcomputer and an integrated circuit (IC) to form an electric circuit that performs functions such as control. The electrical connector 1 serves to connect an electrical circuit mounted on the circuit board 2 and formed on the circuit board 2 to an external electrical device (not shown). That is, the electrical connector 1 is coupled to the mating connector 3 that is directly connected to the external electrical device, whereby the electrical circuit of the circuit board 2 is electrically connected to the external electrical device.

  The electrical connector 1 includes a plurality of connection terminals 11 made of conductive metal or the like, and is formed by holding the plurality of connection terminals 11 in a housing 13 made of a resin material while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes eight connection terminals 11. However, the number of the connection terminals 11 is not limited to eight. It can be freely changed accordingly.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connection terminal 11 is formed from a conductive metal in a substantially rod shape with a circular cross section. As shown in FIG. 2, the connection terminal 11 is soldered to a signal pattern 22 that is an electric path on the circuit board 2 and a portion that can be mated with the mating terminal 31 of the mating connector 3 coupled to the electrical connector 1. The general portion 11a, which is a portion to be connected, and a high impedance portion 11b formed in the middle of the general portion 11a. The high impedance part 11b is formed by processing so that the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the connection terminal 11 is smaller than the cross-sectional area in the general part 11a. In the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the high impedance part 11b is processed so that the diameter thereof is smaller than that of the general part 11a, and the high impedance part 11b and the general part 11a are arranged coaxially. Yes. The high impedance part 11b is one of the characteristic configurations of the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The ground plate 12 as a discharge path member, which is another characteristic configuration of the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, is formed of a conductive metal. As shown in FIG. 2, the ground plate 12 includes a through hole 12a, and the high impedance portion 11b of the connection terminal 11 is inserted into the through hole 12a as shown in FIG. The number of through holes 12a is the same as the number of connection terminals 11 provided in the electrical connector 1, that is, eight, and all the connection terminals 11 are inserted into the through holes 12a. Therefore, in the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, all the eight connection terminals 11 have through-holes in which the high impedance portions 11b are discharge portions in the corresponding ground plates 12 as shown in FIG. It faces the inner peripheral surface of the hole 12a. As shown in FIG. 1, the ground plate 12 is integrally provided with a lead pin portion 12 b that is a terminal portion, and the lead pin portion 12 b is electrically connected to the ground pattern 21 of the circuit board 2 by soldering. The ground pattern 21 has a potential of 0 in an electric circuit formed on the circuit board 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the ground plate 12 is disposed in close contact with the bottom of the housing 13 formed in a bottomed box shape of the electrical connector 1.

  When the housing 13 of the electrical connector 1 is resin-molded, the connection terminal 11 and the ground plate 12 are integrally fixed to the housing 13 by being set in a mold for forming the housing 13 and insert-molded.

  In a state where the electrical connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board 2, the connection terminal 11 is soldered to a signal pattern 22 provided in the circuit board 2 as shown in FIG. 4, and the lead pin portion 12b of the ground plate 12 is As shown in FIG. 4, it is soldered to a ground pattern 21 provided on the circuit board 2.

  When the mating connector 3 is coupled to the electrical connector 1, the connection terminals 11 of the electrical connector 1 are fitted into the substantially cylindrical mating terminals 31 provided in the mating connector 3, as shown in FIG. 11 is electrically connected to the corresponding counterpart terminal 31. Thereby, the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 3 are electrically connected. At the same time, the housing 32 of the mating connector 3 and the housing 13 of the electrical connector 1 are fitted to each other as shown in FIG. Thereby, the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 3 becomes strong. When the connection with the mating connector 3 is completed, the mating terminal 31 of the mating connector 3 is fitted with the general portion 11a of the connection terminal 11 of the electrical connector 1, and is not fitted with the high impedance portion 11b. Therefore, a sufficient contact area between the mating terminal 31 and the connection terminal 11 is ensured, so that conduction between the two is ensured. Further, when the coupling with the mating connector 3 is completed, a gap is formed between the housing 32 of the mating connector 3 and the ground plate 12 of the electrical connector 1 as shown in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the ground plate 12 from being damaged such as deformation in the coupling step between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 3.

  Next, operations and effects of the high impedance portion 11b of the connection terminal 11 and the ground plate 12, which are characteristic configurations of the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, will be described.

  Some electronic components constituting an electric circuit formed on the circuit board 2 are damaged when a voltage exceeding the rated voltage is applied. Normally, the voltage supplied to an electronic component in an electric circuit is precisely controlled, but if for some reason static electricity is applied from the outside of the electric circuit, a high voltage exceeding the voltage in use is applied to the electronic component. Will be. The conventional circuit board has a structure for discharging the static electricity to the ground line of the circuit board before the electronic parts mounted on the circuit board in order to prevent the electronic parts from being destroyed by the static electricity. In this case, a portion where the impedance is increased is provided in the conductive pattern disposed on the circuit board, and a ground line is disposed close to the portion where the impedance is increased. When static electricity is applied to the conductive pattern, this static electricity is discharged from the location where the impedance of the conductive pattern is increased to the adjacent ground line to prevent static electricity from being applied to electronic components with low allowable voltage. Yes. Since such an electrostatic discharge structure is formed on the circuit board, in the flow soldering process of mounting electronic components on the circuit board, solder remains between the location where the impedance is increased and the ground line, and both are short-circuited. There was a fear.

  The present invention has been made with the aim of solving such problems. In the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when static electricity is applied through the mating connector 3, the static electricity is further discharged due to a voltage increase in the high impedance portion 11 b of the connection terminal 11. It becomes an easy state, and it discharges to the inner peripheral wall surface of the through-hole 12a of the ground plate 12 which is the part nearest to the high impedance part 11b. The static electricity discharged to the ground plate 12 flows to the ground pattern 21 of the circuit board 2 via the lead pins 12 b of the ground plate 12. Thereby, the static electricity applied to the connection terminal 11 of the electrical connector 1 from the outside is discharged to the ground pattern 21 of the circuit board 2 in the electrical connector 1 and flows to the signal pattern 22 connected to the connection terminal 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent static electricity from being applied to the electronic components having a low allowable voltage connected to the signal pattern 22 and damaging them. Since the electrostatic discharge structure in the embodiment of the present invention is integrally formed inside the electrical connector 1 as described above, in the flow soldering process of mounting electronic components on the circuit board 2, The solder does not touch the high impedance portion 11b of the connection terminal 11 having a discharge structure and the through hole 12a of the ground plate 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electrostatic discharge function of the electrostatic discharge structure including the high impedance portion 11b of the connection terminal 11 and the through hole 12a of the ground plate 12 from being damaged in the process of mounting the electronic component on the circuit board 2. In addition, an electrical connector and a circuit board on which the electrical connector is mounted can be provided.

  Further, since the electrostatic discharge structure according to the present invention is integrally incorporated in the electrical connector 1, it can be applied to various circuit boards without any changes to the circuit boards themselves, so that electrostatic discharge can be easily performed. Structure can be added.

  The electrical connector according to the present invention and the circuit board on which the electrical connector is mounted are not limited to the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is possible to implement. As a form in which the above-described embodiment is appropriately changed, for example, a form described below can be implemented.

  FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 3) of a modification of the electrical connector 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this modification, the shape of the connection terminal 11 is changed. In the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the connection terminal 11 has a circular cross section, that is, the connection terminal 11 has a round bar shape. In this modification, the cross section has a square shape, that is, a square bar shape. Yes. Even in this case, the high impedance portion 11b can be easily formed by partially reducing the cross-sectional area of the connection terminal 11.

  FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 3) of another modification of the electrical connector 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In another modification, the shape of the through hole 12a of the ground plate 12 is changed. In the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 12a is circular, but in this other modification, the cross-sectional shape is polygonal. Even in this case, static electricity can be discharged from the high impedance portion 11b to the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 12a.

  8 and 9 are sectional views (corresponding to FIG. 3) of other variations of the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In another modification, the shape of the through hole 12a of the ground plate 12 is changed to change the number of electrostatic discharge structures. In the electrical connector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the high impedance portion 11b of the connection terminal 11 having the electrostatic discharge structure and the through holes 12a of the ground plate 12 are all connected to the connection terminal 11 included in the electrical connector 1. I have. On the other hand, in another modified example, the electrostatic discharge structure is provided only in a part of the connection terminal 11 provided in the electrical connector 1. That is, in FIG. 8, among the eight connecting terminals 11, the upper four are not provided with the electrostatic discharge structure, and the lower four are provided with the electrostatic discharge structure. Therefore, the shape of the ground plate 12 is a rectangle as shown in FIG. 8, and a projection 12 c is provided at a position facing the high impedance portion 11 b of the connection terminal 11. Of the connection terminals 11, there is no need to provide an electrostatic discharge structure in the case where static electricity is not applied from the outside. In such a case, the electrical connector 1 of another modification is applied, The structure of the electrical connector can be simplified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical connector 11 Connection terminal 11a General part 11b High impedance part 12 Ground board (discharge path member)
12a Through hole (discharge part)
12b Lead pin part (terminal part)
12c Protrusion 13 Housing 2 Circuit board 21 Ground pattern 22 Signal pattern 3 Mating connector 31 Mating terminal

Claims (5)

An electrical connector for connecting an electrical circuit on the circuit board to the external electrical equipment by being coupled to a mating connector which is an electrical connector mounted on the circuit board and connected to the external electrical equipment,
An electrical conductor is formed, one end is mounted on the circuit board, and the other end is provided in the middle of the connection terminal formed so as to be in contact with a mating terminal which is a connection terminal included in the mating connector, and the impedance is the connection terminal A high-impedance part that is higher than the other parts,
An electrical connector comprising: a discharge portion that is formed of an electric conductor and that is a portion facing the high impedance portion; and a discharge path member that includes a terminal portion connected to a ground pattern of the circuit board.   2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction in the high impedance portion of the connection terminal is set smaller than a cross-sectional area of another portion of the connection terminal. The discharge part is an inner peripheral surface of a through hole provided in the discharge path member so that the connection terminal is inserted;
3. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein when the connection terminal is inserted into the through hole, the high impedance portion faces the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. connector.   The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge path member includes a protrusion protruding toward the high impedance portion.   A circuit board on which the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is mounted.

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