阅读说明：本技术 连接器装置 (Connector device ) 是由 室野井有 川岛直伦 平林辰雄 桥本诚司 小林伊织 角佳朗 于 2020-03-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种连接器装置,能够将连接器的壳体与模塑树脂之间的防水性能提高。连接器装置(1)具备电路基板(2)、装配于电路基板(2)的连接器(3)、以及将电路基板(2)的整体及连接器(3)的一部分包覆的模塑树脂(5)。连接器(3)的壳体(31)由液晶聚合物或者聚苯硫醚树脂构成。模塑树脂(5)由熔点或者软化点为230℃以下的聚酰胺树脂构成。(Provided is a connector device capable of improving the waterproof performance between a housing of a connector and a molding resin. The connector device (1) is provided with a circuit board (2), a connector (3) mounted on the circuit board (2), and a molding resin (5) that covers the entire circuit board (2) and a part of the connector (3). A housing (31) of the connector (3) is made of a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin. The molding resin (5) is composed of a polyamide resin having a melting point or softening point of 230 ℃ or lower.)

1. A connector device, wherein,

the connector includes a circuit board, a connector mounted on the circuit board, and a molding resin covering the entire circuit board and a part of the connector,

the housing of the connector is composed of a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin,

the molding resin is composed of a polyamide resin or a polyester resin having a melting point or a softening point of 230 ℃ or lower.

2. The connector device of claim 1,

the molding resin constitutes a cap of the outermost shell exposed to the atmosphere.

3. The connector device according to claim 1 or claim 2,

a fitting portion for fitting the connector device to the outside is formed in the molding resin,

a metal collar through which a bolt is inserted is disposed in the mounting portion.

4. The connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the molding resin has a gate mark indicating molding by molding.

5. The connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the thickness of the portion of the molding resin facing the board surface of the circuit board is in a range of 1mm to 5 mm.

6. The connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

the connector device is used as an on-vehicle control unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector device.

Background

The connector has a terminal in a resin housing, and is used when various electronic control components are wired to a control device. In some cases, a circuit board constituting a control device is disposed in a cover (case) of an equipment component or the like provided with various electronic control components, and a connector for wiring the circuit board to the electronic control components or other control devices is provided on the circuit board or the cover. The connector device is a device in which a circuit board and a connector, which are disposed in a resin cover or a mold resin, are integrated, and is used by being mounted to a machine component or the like. Connector devices are also sometimes referred to as substrate connectors.

In a conventional connector device, a circuit board is covered with two divided covers, and a waterproof seal is disposed in a gap between the covers. The connector device of the cap type has the following problems: the molding and assembling of the cap and the seal member are troublesome, and the manufacturing process is complicated. In addition, the following problems are also found in the connector device of the cap type: since the circuit board is covered, the outer shape of the cover is increased, and the connector device is increased in size.

On the other hand, there is also a molded connector device in which a circuit board and a part of a connector are disposed in a mold resin formed by molding, and the remaining part of the connector protrudes from the mold resin. In this connector device of mold type, the waterproof performance is ensured by covering the circuit substrate with the mold resin, and therefore the sealing member can be eliminated. In addition, in the connector device of the mold type, since the molding is performed, the manufacturing process of the molding and the assembly becomes simple, and since the cover is not used, the connector device is miniaturized. As a connector device of a mold type, for example, a device described in patent document 1 is known.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the inventors of the present application have found the following as a result of a discussion of the waterproof performance (water stopping performance) of the connector device of the mold type: sometimes water is impregnated into the molding resin from between the housing of the connector and the molding resin. That is, the inventors of the present application have made intensive studies and found the following: compatibility of the resin material constituting the housing of the connector and the resin material constituting the mold resin greatly affects the water resistance of the mold resin.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a connector device capable of improving a waterproof performance between a housing of a connector and a mold resin.

Means for solving the problems

A connector device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a circuit board, a connector mounted on the circuit board, and a mold resin covering the entire circuit board and a part of the connector,

the housing of the connector is composed of a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin,

the molding resin is composed of a polyamide resin or a polyester resin having a melting point or a softening point of 230 ℃ or lower.

Effects of the invention

According to the connector device of the one aspect, the waterproof performance between the housing of the connector and the mold resin can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a connector device of an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a view from direction II of fig. 1 showing the connector device of the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view III-III of fig. 1 showing the connector device of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of section IV-IV of fig. 3, according to an embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of fig. 3 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to fig. 5 of another connector device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a circuit board and a connector of the connector device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to fig. 4 of another connector device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to fig. 5 of another connector device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a groove portion formed in a housing of a connector before filling of a molding resin according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a groove portion formed in a housing of a connector after filling of a molding resin according to the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a test sample for confirmation test.

Detailed Description

[ description of embodiments of the present disclosure ]

First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

(1) A connector device according to one aspect of the present disclosure,

the connector includes a circuit board, a connector mounted on the circuit board, and a molding resin covering the entire circuit board and a part of the connector,

the housing of the connector is composed of a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin,

the molding resin is composed of a polyamide resin or a polyester resin having a melting point or a softening point of 230 ℃ or lower.

(Effect)

The connector device according to the above-described one embodiment is a mold type connector device in which the entire circuit board and a part of the connector are covered with a mold resin. Also, in the connector device, an appropriate combination of a resin material constituting a housing of the connector and a resin material constituting a molding resin is provided.

In the connector device, the circuit board is entirely covered with the mold resin, so that the circuit board can be protected by the mold resin and water can be prevented from entering. In addition, the interface of the housing of the connector and the molding resin is located on the surface of the connector device. This interface becomes the most waterproof countermeasure site in the connector device.

The housing of the connector is made of Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) or polyphenylene Sulfide resin (PPS). The molding resin is composed of a Polyamide resin (Polyamide: PA) or a Polyester resin (Polyester: PE) having a melting point or softening point of 230 ℃ or lower.

(Polyamide resin)

The polyamide resin is a thermoplastic resin, and is a linear polymer (polymer) having a main chain formed by repeating amide bonds (-CONH-). In particular, aliphatic polyamides are generally referred to as nylons. In the polyamide resin, a hydrogen bond is formed between H (hydrogen) in an amide bond in a molecular chain and O (oxygen) in an amide bond in another molecular chain. Also, the hydrogen bond plays a role of strongly linking molecular chains in the polyamide resin to each other.

The polyamide resin constitutes a molding resin formed by molding. The molding includes, for example, melt molding such as hot melt molding and injection molding. When molding, a conductive material such as solder for connecting the conductor of the circuit board and the terminal of the connector is not melted. The melting point or softening point of the polyamide resin is set to 230 ℃ or lower so that the conductive material does not melt. In other words, the crystalline polyamide resin has a melting point of 230 ℃ or lower, and the amorphous polyamide resin has a softening point of 230 ℃ or lower. In the present embodiment, the melting point means: the transition temperature at which the solid substance becomes liquid by heating. The softening point is a temperature at which the resin is softened as defined by the ring and ball method according to JIS K6863.

The polyamide resin can be a resin having a melting point or softening point of 150 ℃ to 200 ℃, for example. The polyamide resin has a melting point or softening point of 150 ℃ or higher, and thus the heat resistance of the molding resin can be improved. Further, the polyamide resin preferably has a melting point or softening point of 230 ℃ or lower, so that the polyamide resin does not affect the conductive material for connecting the conductor of the circuit board and the terminal of the connector when the molding resin is molded. In addition, the melting point or softening point of the polyamide resin is 200 ℃ or lower, whereby the conductive material can be protected and the molding of the molding resin can be facilitated.

The general polyamide resin has high crystallinity, and the melting point of the crystalline polyamide resin is higher than 230 ℃. In the connector device of the above-described one embodiment, a polyamide resin having a low melting point is purposefully used. There is a correlation between the thickness of the crystalline layer of polyamide resin and the melting point. The melting point of the polyamide resin can be lowered by reducing the thickness of the crystalline layer of the polyamide resin. In addition, for example, in the case of using a polyamide resin using a dimer acid as a raw material, the polyamide resin hardly obtains a crystal structure. In this case, the softening point of the polyamide resin can be lowered by various methods of controlling the molecular weight, polymerization degree, crosslinking structure, and chemical structure, or adding a plasticizer.

(polyester resin)

The polyester resin is a generic name for polymers having an ester bond (-CO-O-) in the main chain of the structural molecule. The polyester resin of the present embodiment is, for example, a saturated polyester resin which is a linear polymer (polymer) having no unsaturated bond. Thus, the thermoplastic resin can be appropriately hot-melt molded.

The polyester resin can be, for example, a polyester resin having a melting point or a softening point of 150 ℃ or more and 200 ℃ or less. The heat resistance of the molding resin can be improved by setting the melting point or softening point of the polyester resin to 150 ℃ or higher. Further, it is preferable that the polyester resin has a melting point or a softening point of 230 ℃ or lower in order that the conductive material for connecting the conductor of the circuit board and the terminal of the connector is not affected when the molding resin is molded. In addition, the polyester resin has a melting point or softening point of 200 ℃ or lower, whereby the conductive material can be protected and the molding resin can be easily molded.

As the polyester resin, for example, a saturated polyester resin having a low melting point, a low crystallization, and a low melt viscosity, which is obtained by copolymerizing a different monomer such as an aliphatic dibasic acid having 4 or more carbon atoms or a diol with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), or the like, can be suitably used. Accordingly, a polyester resin having a lower melting point and lower crystallinity than PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), which are typical resins of saturated polyester resins, can be used, and hot melt molding can be appropriately performed, which is preferable in this respect.

(liquid Crystal Polymer)

The liquid crystal polymer has a property that a straight chain of molecules is regularly arranged in a molten state. The liquid crystalline polymer constitutes an aromatic polyester resin, which can also be referred to as a liquid crystalline polyester. The liquid crystal polymer is a crystalline thermoplastic resin.

(polyphenylene sulfide resin)

The polyphenylene sulfide resin is a resin having a molecular structure in which phenyl groups (benzene rings) and sulfur (S) are alternately and repeatedly linked. Polyphenylene sulfide resin is a crystalline thermoplastic resin.

The following are considered: by using a polyamide resin as the molding resin and using a liquid crystal polymer or a polyphenylene sulfide resin as the housing of the connector, an amide bond in the polyamide resin is linked to a polar group in the liquid crystal polymer or a polar group in the polyphenylene sulfide resin, and the degree of adhesion between the housing of the connector and the molding resin is increased. This improves the waterproof performance between the housing of the connector and the mold resin, and prevents water from entering the connector device through the interface between the housing of the connector and the mold resin.

(2) The connector device according to the above-described embodiment may be: the molding resin constitutes a cap of the outermost shell exposed to the atmosphere. With this configuration, the connector device can be downsized. In addition, water contained in the atmosphere can be prevented from infiltrating into the interface between the housing of the connector and the molding resin.

(3) The following steps can be also included: the mold resin is formed with a fitting portion for fitting the connector device to the outside, and the fitting portion is provided with a metal collar through which a bolt is inserted. With this configuration, the connector device can be mounted to an external device component or the like by the bolt inserted into the collar.

(4) The following steps can be also included: the molding resin has a gate mark indicating molding by molding. With this structure, it can be confirmed that the molding resin of the connector device is molded by molding.

(5) Preferably: the thickness of a portion of the molding resin facing the board surface of the circuit board is in a range of lmm to 5 mm. With this structure, the strength of the molding resin can be maintained and the thickness of the molding resin can be reduced.

(6) The connector device can be used as an in-vehicle control unit. The in-vehicle control unit is also referred to as an electronic control unit. In the case of use in a vehicle, the connector device is protected from water intrusion into the connector device when the vehicle is wetted with water.

[ details of embodiments of the present disclosure ]

Specific examples of the connector device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

< embodiment >

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the connector device 1 of the present embodiment includes a circuit board 2, a connector 3 mounted on the circuit board 2, and a molding resin 5 covering the entire circuit board 2 and a part of the connector 3. The housing 31 of the connector 3 is made of a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin. The molding resin 5 is composed of a polyamide resin having a melting point of 230 ℃ or lower.

The connector device 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail below.

(connector device 1)

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the connector device 1 is used as an in-vehicle control unit and as a control device for an equipment part 61 mounted on a vehicle. The connector device 1 is used by being mounted to a machine member 61 or the like. The circuit board 2 of the connector device 1 is a circuit board for controlling various electronic control components in the device component 61. The electronic control unit includes various actuators, sensors, and the like.

Connector device 1 can be used as a module of an electric Brake system such as an Electro Mechanical Brake (EMB) and an Electric Parking Brake (EPB), or a Control Unit such as a Fuel Injection Control Unit (FI-ECU).

The connector device 1 of the present embodiment is a mold type device in which the circuit board 2 is covered with a mold resin 5 of a thermoplastic resin. The connector device 1 is a device that does not use a cover (box) for housing resin or the like of the circuit board 2 and a waterproof sealing material. The mold resin 5 covering the entire circuit board 2 and a part of the housing 31 of the connector 3 constitutes a cover of the outermost case exposed to the atmosphere. The mold resin 5 is provided in place of the cover and the sealing member, and protects the circuit board 2 and the terminals 35 of the connector 3 from water contained in the atmosphere. The connector device 1 can be miniaturized by replacing the cap and the sealing member with the molding resin 5.

(Circuit Board 2)

As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the circuit board 2 includes: a plate-shaped substrate portion 21 in which a conductor through which a current flows is formed on an insulating base material made of glass, resin, or the like; and electrical components 22 such as semiconductors, resistors, capacitors, coils, and switches, which are provided on substrate portion 21 so as to be electrically connected to the conductors of substrate portion 21. The electric component 22 also includes an electronic component made of a semiconductor or the like. The connector 3 is mounted in the vicinity of one side of a plate-shaped substrate portion 21 having a rectangular plate surface 201. Here, the plate surface 201 refers to a pair of surfaces having the largest area among the plate-shaped circuit boards 2. The case where the corner portion has a chamfered shape, a curved surface shape, or the like is also included in the quadrangle.

The substrate portion 21 may be formed in a plate shape in which a part of a rectangular plate is cut out, or the like, in addition to the rectangular plate shape. For example, a notch may be formed in a portion of the substrate portion 21 where the later-described mounting portion 11 is formed.

(connector 3)

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the connector 3 includes an insulating housing 31 made of thermoplastic resin, and a plurality of terminals 35 made of conductive metal material and held by the housing 31. The plurality of terminals 35 include a control terminal for controlling the supply of a signal, a power supply terminal connected to a dc power supply, a ground, and the like. The connector 3 of the present embodiment is arranged along a plane direction parallel to the board surface 201 of the circuit board 2.

The distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35 are arranged along the planar direction of the circuit substrate 2. Base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 connected to the conductors of substrate portion 21 are arranged so as to be bent from a state parallel to the planar direction of substrate portion 21 to a state perpendicular to the planar direction of substrate portion 21.

In other words, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the plurality of terminals 35 are bent in a crank shape so as to be parallel to the planar direction of the substrate portion 21, perpendicular to the planar direction, and parallel to the planar direction. The housing 31 of the connector 3 has: a holding portion 32 that holds intermediate portions 353 of the plurality of terminals 35; and a cover portion (mounting portion) 33 formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35, and to which the mating connector 62 is mounted.

Most of the holding portion 32 of the case 31 faces the circuit board 2 and is covered with the mold resin 5 together with the circuit board 2. The cover portion 33 of the case 31 protrudes from the end surface 202 of the circuit board 2 and is not covered with the mold resin 5. An end portion of an interface K of the housing 31 and the mold resin 5, in other words, a tip end portion 51 of the mold resin 5 is located at the holding portion 32 of the housing 31. The connector 3 constitutes a male connector, and the plurality of terminals 35 in the connector 3 constitute male terminals. Distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35 protruding from the holding portion 32 in the cover portion 33 are electrically connected to female terminals of the mating connector 62 as a female connector.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 protrude from holding portion 32 of case 31, and are connected to the conductors of substrate portion 21 of circuit board 2 by soldering. In addition to the plurality of terminals 35, a wedge (metal member) 36 is disposed in the holding portion 32 of the housing 31, and the wedge 36 is used to fix the housing 31 to the circuit board 2. A part of the wedge 36 is connected to the conductor of the substrate portion 21 of the circuit substrate 2 by soldering. The housing 31 is fixed to the circuit board 2 by the base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 and a part of the wedge 36.

Base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 are disposed outside the holding portion 32 and are covered with the mold resin 5. Further, a part of the wedge 36 is disposed outside the holding portion 32 and covered with the mold resin 5.

The housing 31 is composed of a liquid crystal polymer. More specifically, the housing 31 is formed by insert molding of a resin material constituting a liquid crystal polymer in a molding die in which the plurality of terminals 35 and the plurality of wedges 36 are arranged. In the housing 31, both end portions 351 and 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 and a part of the wedge 36 are exposed. Further, the case 31 may be made of polyphenylene sulfide resin.

The connector 3 may be arranged along a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the board surface 201 of the circuit board 2. In this case, the distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the circuit substrate 2.

(Molding resin 5)

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, as the molding, the circuit board 2 and the connector 3 are placed in a molding die, and the molding die is filled with a molten resin material for molding the molding resin 5, and the resin material is solidified to form the molding resin 5. This molding is also called hot melt molding (hot melt molding), and a molten resin material is injected into a molding die at low pressure, and the molding resin 5 is molded in the molding die. By performing the hot melt molding, the molding resin 5 can be molded at a low temperature and a low pressure, and adverse effects due to temperature and pressure are not given to the electric component 22 mounted on the circuit board 2 as an insert component.

As shown in fig. 1, the molding resin 5 can be molded at a low pressure and a low temperature by molding, and thus molding is easy. The molding resin 5 has a gate mark 52, and the gate mark 52 indicates molding by molding. The gate mark 52 is formed at an end portion of the mold resin 5 disposed on the end surface 202 of the circuit board 2.

A resin material remains in a gate formed in an inlet of the resin material of the molding die, and when the resin material remaining in the gate is cut from the molding resin 5 as a product, a gate mark 52 remains as a mark at that time. Since the mold resin 5 has the gate mark 52, it can be confirmed that the mold resin 5 is molded by molding.

As shown in fig. 5, the mold resin 5 covers the entire circuit board 2 including the electrical components 22, the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 of the connector 3, the base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35, and a part of the wedge 36. The mold resin 5 is formed to have a thickness as uniform as possible on the surface 201 of the circuit board 2 and the surface of the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 of the connector 3. The thicknesses t1, t2 of the portions of the mold resin 5 facing the board surface 201 of the circuit board 2 are in the range of 1mm to 5 mm. In the case where the thicknesses t1, t2 of the molding resin 5 are less than 1mm, the strength of the molding resin 5 is insufficient, and in the case where the thicknesses t1, t2 of the molding resin 5 exceed 5mm, the amount of use of the resin material becomes excessive.

As shown in fig. 5, the portion of the board surface 201 of the board portion 21 of the circuit board 2 where the electrical component 22 is disposed is convex. The surface of the mold resin 5 disposed on the plate surface 201 of the substrate portion 21 of the circuit board 2 may be formed flat. In this case, the thickness t2 of the mold resin 5 at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is arranged is smaller than the thickness t1 of the mold resin 5 at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is not arranged.

As shown in fig. 6, the thickness t2 of the 1 st mold resin 5A at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is disposed may be the same as the thickness t1 of the 1 st mold resin 5A at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is not disposed. In this case, the mold resin 5 at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is disposed bulges in a convex shape from the mold resin 5 at the portion of the substrate portion 21 where the electrical component 22 is not disposed.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, when the direction in which the distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35 extend and the direction in which the hood 33 is formed are set as the mounting direction D in which the mating connector 62 is mounted, the mold resin 5 is provided around the entire circumference of the central axis O of the hood 33 and the holding portion 32 along the mounting direction D at the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 of the connector 3. Here, the central axis O is a virtual line passing through the center of gravity of a cross section orthogonal to the mounting direction D of the cover 33 and the holding portion 32. The thickness of the portion of the molded resin 5 facing the surface of the housing 31 of the connector 3 is in the range of 1mm to 5 mm.

The molding resin 5 of the present embodiment is formed of a polyamide resin having a softening point of 190 ℃. When the molding resin 5 is molded, the material of the polyamide resin is heated to 190 ℃ or higher and 230 ℃ or lower and filled in a molding die. Then, the material of the polyamide resin filled in the molding die is cooled and solidified, and the molding resin 5 is molded.

In the molding of the mold resin 5, the melting point or softening point of the resin material constituting the mold resin 5 is set to 230 ℃ or lower so that the conductive material such as solder connecting the conductor of the substrate portion 21 of the circuit board 2 and the terminal 35 of the connector 3 is not melted.

(assembling portion 11)

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a fitting portion 11 is formed in the mold resin 5, and the fitting portion 11 is used for fitting the connector device 1 to an external device component 61 or the like. A metal collar 4 through which the bolt 42 is inserted is disposed in the mounting portion 11. The fitting portion 11 of the present embodiment is constituted by a plurality of collars 4. The collar 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a bolt 42 is inserted through a center hole thereof. Both end portions of the collar 4 protrude from the surface of the molding resin 5. The bolt 42 inserted into the collar 4 is fastened to a screw hole provided in the machine member 61 or the like.

In order to prevent the collar 4 from coming off the mold resin 5, a flange portion protruding toward the outer peripheral side may be formed on the outer periphery 41 of the collar 4. The flange portion may be formed at a plurality of positions in the axial direction of the collar 4.

The four collars 4 constituting the mounting portion 11 are disposed in the vicinity of four corners of the rectangular plate-shaped circuit board 2. A notch may be formed around the portion of the circuit board 2 where the collar 4 is disposed to avoid interference with the collar 4.

(method of manufacturing connector device 1)

When manufacturing the connector device 1, first, insert molding, which is injection molding, of the housing 31 into which the plurality of terminals 35 and the plurality of wedges 36 are inserted is performed to form the connector 3. Further, the circuit board 2 on which various electric components 22 are arranged is formed. Next, as shown in fig. 7, a connector is disposed on the substrate portion 21 of the circuit board 2, and the plurality of terminals 35 and the plurality of wedges 36 of the connector 3 are connected to the conductors of the substrate portion 21 by soldering. The figure shows the circuit substrate 2 on which the connector 3 is arranged, in other words the connector device 1 before the molding resin 5 is provided.

Next, as shown in fig. 1 to 5, the circuit board 2 to which the connector 3 is attached and the molding resin 5 into which the plurality of ferrules 4 are inserted are insert-molded by hot-melt molding to manufacture the connector device 1. The entire circuit board 2, the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 of the connector 3, the base end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35, the plurality of wedges 36, and the outer peripheries 41 of the plurality of ferrules 4 are embedded in the mold resin 5. Further, the proximal end portions 352 of the plurality of terminals 35 and the soldered portions between the plurality of wedges 36 and the conductor of the substrate portion 21 of the circuit board 2 are also embedded in the mold resin 5.

The cover 33 of the housing 31 and the distal ends 351 of the plurality of terminals 35 are exposed to the outside of the mold resin 5. Further, the polyamide resin constituting the mold resin 5 is closely adhered to the liquid crystal polymer constituting the housing 31 of the connector 3, and the interface K between the mold resin 5 and the housing 31 is sealed.

(Effect)

The connector device 1 of the present embodiment is a mold type device in which the entire circuit board 2 and a part of the connector 3 are covered with a mold resin 5. Also, in this connector device 1, an appropriate combination of the resin material constituting the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the resin material constituting the mold resin 5 can be provided.

In connector device 1, since circuit board 2 is entirely covered with mold resin 5, circuit board 2 can be protected from water scattered in the atmosphere by mold resin 5. In addition, the interface K of the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 is located on the surface of the connector device 1. This interface K is the portion of connector device 1 where waterproofing is most necessary.

In the connector device 1 of this embodiment, a polyamide resin having a melting point of 230 ℃ or lower is used as the mold resin 5, and a liquid crystal polymer or a polyphenylene sulfide resin is used as the housing 31 of the connector 3. By combining the polyamide resin and the liquid crystal polymer or the polyphenylene sulfide resin, the waterproof performance between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 can be improved. Further, water can be prevented from entering the mold resin 5 from the boundary between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5.

The present inventors have found, through their research and development, that the adhesion between a polyamide resin and a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin is particularly excellent. The first discovery that the combination of the resin materials improves the water-repellent performance (sealing performance and water-stopping performance) of the interface K between the materials was made by the present inventors.

The reason why the water resistance of the interface K can be improved is considered to be due to: the adhesion between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the molding resin 5 is increased by the amide bond in the polyamide resin and the polar group in the liquid crystal polymer or the polar group in the polyphenylene sulfide resin.

Thus, according to the connector device 1 of the present embodiment, the waterproof performance between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 can be improved.

(other structures of the case 31 and the mold resin 5)

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, a groove 321 may be formed in the surface of the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 of the connector 3, and the groove 321 may extend in a direction intersecting the mounting direction D of the mating connector 62. The groove 321 may be provided in one or more lines around the entire circumference of the central axis O of the cover 33 and the holding portion 32 along the mounting direction D.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the resin material constituting the housing 31 of the connector 3 may contain a resin material 301 and a fibrous inorganic filler 302. Fig. 10 shows the groove 321 before the mold resin 5 is filled in an enlarged manner, and fig. 11 shows the groove 321 after the mold resin 5 is filled in an enlarged manner.

The groove 321 can be formed by removing the resin material 301 with the inorganic filler 302 remaining. The inorganic filler 302 in the groove 321 is buried in the molding resin 5 filled in the groove 321. The groove 321 can be formed by irradiating the holding portion 32 of the housing 31 with a laser beam to remove the resin material 301 of the holding portion 32. The depth h1 and the width wl of the groove 321 can be in the range of 50 μm to 150 μm.

In addition, in a state where the groove 321 is filled with a part of the mold resin 5 disposed on the surface of the holding portion 32 of the housing 31, an anchor effect can be obtained in which a part of the mold resin 5 is caught by the inorganic filler 302 in the groove 321 and is not easily detached. Thereby, the degree of adhesion or adhesive strength between the case 31 and the mold resin 5 is increased, and the interface K between the case 31 and the mold resin 5 is less likely to open. Therefore, the waterproof performance between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 can be improved, and water can be prevented from entering the connector device 1 from the interface K between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5.

(confirmation test)

In the present confirmation test, a test for confirming the airtightness between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 was performed. In this confirmation test, as shown in fig. 12, a test sample 7 is prepared, and the test sample 7 is formed with a 1 st resin portion 71 simulating the case 31 and a 2 nd resin portion 72 simulating the mold resin 5. The 1 st resin portion 71 of the test sample 7 was set to have an inner diameterIs composed of

Outer diameterIs composed ofThe thickness u1 is a 1mm cylindrical plate. Tree 2 of sample 7 for testingThe fat portion 72 is set to a diameter

Is composed of

The thickness u2 is a 2mm circular plate. The axial centers of the 1 st resin portion 71 and the 2 nd resin portion 72 are aligned, and the 1 st resin portion 71 and the 2 nd resin portion 72 are brought into close contact when the 2 nd resin portion 72 is molded.

With regard to the test article 1, the 1 st resin portion 71 of the housing 31 of the analog connector 3 was formed of a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), and the 2 nd resin portion 72 of the analog mold resin 5 was formed of a polyamide resin (PA) having a softening point of 190 ℃. With regard to the test article 2, the 1 st resin part 71 was formed of polyphenylene sulfide resin (PPS), and the 2 nd resin part 72 was formed of polyamide resin (PA) having a softening point of 190 ℃. With regard to the test article 3, as a comparative example, the 1 st resin portion 71 was formed of a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), and the 2 nd resin portion 72 was formed of Polyester (Polyester: PEs).

With regard to the test pieces 1 to 3, the 1 st resin portion 71 was molded by injection molding, and the 2 nd resin portion 72 was molded by hot melt molding. The molding temperature for hot melt molding was set at 210 ℃.

In the present confirmation test, the air tube 8 for supplying the air a was connected to the center hole 711 of the 1 st resin portion 71, and the pressure of the air a flowing through the air tube 8 was changed between 200 to 500kPa, and it was confirmed that leakage (blow-by) of the air a occurred between the 1 st resin portion 71 and the 2 nd resin portion 72. Further, the center hole 711 of the 1 st resin portion 71 is pressurized with air A at a pressure of 200 to 500kPa for 30 seconds. The pressurization of the air A was carried out at room temperature (25 ℃ C.). The results of the test pieces 1 to 3, in which the presence or absence of the leakage air a was confirmed, are shown in table 1.

[ TABLE 1 ]

In the evaluation results in table 1, when the pressure of the air a is not decreased after the pressurization of the air a, it is assumed that the leakage of the air a does not occur between the 1 st resin portion 71 and the 2 nd resin portion 72, and it is "good". On the other hand, when the pressure of the air a is reduced after pressurization of the air a, leakage of the air a occurs between the 1 st resin portion 71 and the 2 nd resin portion 72, and it is regarded as "inferior".

With respect to the test pieces 1 and 2, it was confirmed that no leakage of the air a occurred when the pressure of the air a was 400kPa or less. Further, it is found that sufficient water stopping performance (sealing performance) between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5 in the connector device 1 can be obtained.

On the other hand, it was confirmed that the air a leaked when the pressure of the air a was 300kPa or more with respect to the test piece 3. Further, it is found that the connector device 1 has room for improvement in water sealing performance (sealing performance) between the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the mold resin 5.

From these results, it can be seen that: the connector device 1 using the liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide resin for the housing 31 of the connector 3 and the polyamide resin for the mold resin 5 can improve the waterproof performance between the housing 31 and the mold resin 5.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various embodiments can be further configured without departing from the scope of the invention. The present invention includes various modifications, modifications within an equivalent range, and the like. Further, combinations and modes of various technical features conceived by the present invention are also included in the technical idea of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1 connector device

11 fitting part

2 Circuit Board

201 plate surface

202 end face

21 substrate part

22 electric component

3 connector

301 resin material

302 inorganic filler

31 shell

32 holding part

Groove 321

33 cover part

35 terminal

351 tip end portion

352 base end portion

353 middle part

36 wedge

4 lantern ring

41 outer periphery of

42 bolt

5 Molding resin

51 tip end part

52 gate mark

61 machine parts

62 opposite side connector

71 part of the 1 st resin

72 part of No. 2 resin

7 test sample

711 center hole

712 groove part

8 air pipe

A air

D mounting direction

k interface

Central axis of O

t1, t2 thickness

h1 depth

wl width

Inner diameter

Outer diameter

Diameter of

u1, u2 thickness