JP4487422B2 - Coaxial connector and communication apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coaxial connector and a communication apparatus using the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some mobile communication devices such as cellular phones use a surface mount type coaxial connector having a mechanism for switching signal paths. Conventionally, as this type of coaxial connector, for example, a resin insulating case, a fixed contact member, and a movable contact member having a spring portion are integrally formed by insert molding.
[0003]
In this conventional coaxial connector, the movable contact member is brought into electrical contact with the fixed contact member by the elastic force of the spring portion, and the fixed contact is made by displacing the spring portion of the movable contact member with a counterpart contact probe or the like. The signal path is switched by electrically dissociating from the member. That is, by displacing the spring portion, the movable contact member contacts and separates from the fixed contact member to switch the signal path.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in recent years, with the miniaturization of mobile communication devices such as mobile phones, there is a demand for the reduction in size and height of the coaxial connectors used therein. However, since the conventional coaxial connector has already been miniaturized by using a micro spring or the like, further miniaturization of the spring portion increases the design difficulty. In addition, since the material used for the spring portion is special, there is a problem of cost. Further, as the spring portion is reduced in size, the repeated stress acting on the spring portion becomes relatively large, so that it is necessary to take measures for preventing the deterioration of the life of the spring portion.
[0005]
Further, when the spring portion is downsized, the amount of displacement of the spring portion becomes small, and contact failure is likely to occur due to displacement when the movable contact member and the fixed contact member are assembled into the coaxial connector.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a coaxial connector having a small and excellent mechanism for switching signal paths, and a communication device using the same.
[0007]
[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a coaxial connector according to the present invention comprises:
(A) an external terminal provided with an opening into which the mating contact probe is inserted;
(B) a center electrode pattern that is disposed in the external terminal so as to be freely slidable and is in contact with the center contact of the counterpart contact probe, and a signal switching electrode pattern that is electrically connected to the center electrode pattern ; A movable contact member provided with a recess into which a rotation member provided at the tip of the counterpart contact probe is fitted, and the central electrode pattern disposed in the recess ;
(C) a fixed contact member disposed in a fixed state in the external terminal and provided with a common electrode pattern that is in sliding contact with the signal switching electrode pattern and a contact / separation electrode pattern;
(D) When the mating contact probe is mounted, the rotating member is fitted into the recess, and the movable contact member rotates and slides as the rotating member rotates, so that the signal switching electrode pattern is Configured to dissociate from the electrode pattern for contact and separation,
It is characterized by.
[0008]
With the above configuration, when the counterpart contact probe is not mounted, the signal switching electrode pattern of the movable contact member is in sliding contact with the common electrode pattern and the contact / separation electrode pattern of the fixed contact member, and is electrically connected. Yes. On the other hand, when the mating contact probe is mounted, the center contact comes into contact with the center electrode pattern, and the movable contact member rotates and slides to dissociate the signal switching electrode pattern from the contact / separation electrode pattern, thereby switching the signal path. .
[0009]
Here, a rotation member is attached to the tip of the counterpart contact probe, and a concave portion for fitting the rotation member to the movable contact member is provided, and a central electrode pattern is disposed in the concave portion, and the rotation member The movable contact member is configured to rotate and slide with the rotation . The variable dynamic contact member has a rotation locking means for locking at a constant rotation angle, more specifically, when the movable contact member is rotated by the rotating member to engage the resilient member positioned It is preferable to have a hole . As a result, switching of the signal path to the counterpart contact probe is more reliably performed.
[0010]
Further, it is preferable that the surfaces of the center electrode pattern, the signal switching electrode pattern, the common electrode pattern, and the contact / separation electrode pattern are surface-treated with one of Au and Ag with Ni as a base. Thereby, even if a movable contact member rotates and slides, abrasion of these electrode patterns is suppressed.
[0011]
In addition, the communication device according to the present invention includes the coaxial connector having the above-described characteristics, so that the size and cost can be reduced and the reliability can be increased.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a coaxial connector and a communication device using the same according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each embodiment, the same parts and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
[0013]
[First Embodiment, FIGS. 1 to 8]
An exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a coaxial connector according to the present invention is shown in FIG. The coaxial connector 1 includes an external terminal 5, a movable contact member 20, and a fixed contact member 30. 2 is a bottom view of the movable contact member 20 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view after the assembly of the coaxial connector 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the coaxial connector 1 shown in FIG. 5 is a top view of the coaxial connector 1 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of the coaxial connector 1 shown in FIG.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed contact member 30 has a substantially disk shape, and a common electrode pattern 33 and an electrode pattern 34 for contact / separation are formed on the surface thereof. The common electrode pattern 33 extends from the center of the upper surface 31 toward the center of the fixed contact member 30 to a position at a distance L33. Similarly, the electrode pattern 34 for contact / separation extends from the center to the position of the distance L34 from the circumferential edge on the side facing the common electrode pattern 33 toward the center. In the first embodiment, the distance L34 is set to be longer than the distance L33. Furthermore, the electrode patterns 33 and 34 each extend through the outer peripheral surface 38 to the lower surface 32.
[0015]
Two rectangular grooves 35 are formed to face each other on the circumferential edge of the lower surface 32 of the fixed contact member 30. Each groove 35 has a recess 35 a formed at the center thereof, and fits with the fixed contact member support 18 of the external terminal 5. In the first embodiment, the common electrode pattern 33, the contact / separation electrode pattern 34, and the groove 35 are respectively positioned at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, and the common electrode pattern 33, the groove 35, the contact / separation electrode pattern 34, and the groove 35 are located. Are arranged in the order.
[0016]
The movable contact member 20 has a substantially disk shape that is substantially the same size as the fixed contact member 30, and eight positioning holes 29 are formed on the same circle at the circumferential edge of the upper surface 21, that is, at intervals of 45 degrees. Yes. In the approximate center of the upper surface 21, a recess 24 that can be fitted to the tip of the mating contact probe 60 (see FIG. 3) is formed. In the first embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the recess 24 and the cross-sectional shape of the rotation member 62 (see FIG. 3) attached to the outer periphery of the center contact 64 at the tip of the counterpart contact probe 60 are cross-shaped. Set. Thereby, the recess 24 can transmit the rotational force generated by rotating the rotation member 62 to the movable contact member 20. A substantially circular center electrode pattern 25 is formed at the center of the bottom of the recess 24.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, a signal switching electrode pattern 26 having a U-shaped shape is formed on the bottom surface 22 of the movable contact member 20. The center electrode pattern 25 on the upper surface 21 and the signal switching electrode pattern 26 on the bottom surface 22 are electrically connected at the center of the movable contact member 20 (see FIG. 6). In the signal switching electrode pattern 26, four short electrode portions 27 and four long electrode portions 28 alternately extend radially from the center at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The short electrode portion 27 has a length L27 from the center to the end portion of the movable contact member 20, and the long electrode portion 28 has a length L28 from the center to the end portion of the movable contact member 20. . The length L27 of the short electrode portion 27 is longer than the distance L33 from the center of the fixed contact member 30 and shorter than the distance L34. The length L28 of the long electrode portion 28 is longer than the distance L34. That is, the long electrode portion 28 of the signal switching electrode pattern 26 is set to a length that makes contact with both the common electrode pattern 33 and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34. On the other hand, the short electrode portion 27 is set to a length that contacts the common electrode pattern 33 but does not contact the contact / separation electrode pattern 34.
[0018]
The movable contact member 20 and the fixed contact member 30 are formed using an insulating ceramic or resin. The electrode patterns 25, 26, 33, and 34 are made of Cu, Ag, Ag—Pd, Pd, or the like, and the surface thereof is surface-treated with one of Au and Ag with Ni as a base. preferable. By using Ni, which is harder than the materials of the electrode patterns 25, 26, 33, and 34 and has excellent wear resistance, as the base, the signal switching electrode pattern 26 and the common electrode are used when the movable contact member 20 rotates and slides. Wear caused by sliding of the pattern 33 and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 and wear caused by sliding of the tip of the counterpart contact probe 60 and the center electrode pattern 25 can be suppressed (see FIG. 8). Further, the formation of the Au layer or the Ag layer on the Ni layer is in consideration of conductivity. As a result, it is possible to improve the contact reliability when the signal path is repeatedly switched. These surface treatments such as Ni and Au are performed by plating, baking, vapor deposition, or the like. If necessary, the surface treatment of Ni may be omitted.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, the external terminal 5 made of a conductive metal has an opening 12 for inserting the distal end portion of the mating contact probe 60 in the upper center of the cylindrical shape. Two load load terminals 13 are extended from the inner periphery of the opening 12 so as to be along the circumferential direction of the opening 12. The load terminal 13 has a cantilever structure and has a spring property for pressing the movable contact member 20 to the fixed contact member 30. A convex portion 14 is formed at the tip of the load load terminal 13 for locking the vertical section of the movable contact member 20 in the arc-shaped positioning hole 29 (see FIG. 6).
[0020]
The inner diameter of the external terminal 5 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the movable contact member 20. A fixed leg portion 19, a fixed contact member support portion 18, and an electrode lead-out cutout portion 17 are formed below the external terminal 5. Four fixed leg portions 19 extend outward from the external terminal 5 at an interval of approximately 90 degrees. Two electrode lead-out notches 17 are formed to face the peripheral edge of the external terminal 5. The size of the electrode lead-out cutout portion 17 is preferably a shape that does not electrically contact the electrode patterns 33 and 34 when the coaxial connector 1 is assembled. This is to prevent the external terminal 5 and the electrode patterns 33 and 34 from being short-circuited.
[0021]
The movable contact member 20 and the fixed contact member 30 are sequentially accommodated in the external terminal 5. At this time, the bottom surface 22 of the movable contact member 20 and the top surface 31 of the fixed contact member 30 are overlapped to electrically contact the signal switching electrode pattern 26 of the movable contact member 20 and the electrode patterns 33 and 34 of the fixed contact member 30. Let
[0022]
Next, the fixed contact member support 18 is bent inside the external terminal 5 to fix the fixed contact member 30 (see FIG. 4). At this time, since the convex portion 18a formed at the tip of the fixed contact member support portion 18 and the recess 35a formed at the center of the groove 35 are engaged (see FIG. 10), the fixed contact member 30 is reliably supported. In addition, the electrode patterns 33 and 34 can be positioned.
[0023]
On the other hand, the movable contact member 20 can rotate and slide within the external terminal 5 in a state in which it is pressed against the fixed contact member 30 by the spring force of the load terminal 13. The inner peripheral surface 11 of the external terminal 5 guides the movable contact member 20.
[0024]
Since the movable contact member 20 is made of a non-conductive material, the electrode patterns 25 and 26 formed on the movable contact member 20 are electrically insulated from the external terminal 5. Thus, the coaxial connector 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is obtained.
[0025]
Next, a mechanism for switching the signal path of the coaxial connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0026]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the coaxial connector 1 is mounted on a printed wiring board 80. The fixed leg 19 of the coaxial connector 1 is soldered to the ground pattern G provided on the printed wiring board 80, the common electrode pattern 33 is soldered to the signal pattern 81, and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 is soldered to the signal pattern 82. Is done. That is, the common electrode pattern 33 and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 each function as an input / output terminal of the coaxial connector 1.
[0027]
When the counterpart contact probe 60 is not attached, as shown in FIG. 5, the coaxial connector 1 normally has the long electrode portion 28, the common electrode pattern 33, and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 in a straight line. The movable contact member 20 is disposed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a signal path of signal pattern 81-common electrode pattern 33-signal switching electrode pattern 26-contact / separation electrode pattern 34-signal pattern 82 is formed. At this time, the electrical contact between the electrode patterns 33 and 34 and the long electrode portion 28 is reliably maintained by the spring force of the load terminal 13 formed on the external terminal 5.
[0028]
Next, when mounting the mating contact probe 60, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rotating member 62 attached to the tip of the mating contact probe 60 is inserted from the opening 12 of the external terminal 5. It is inserted and inserted into the recess 24 of the movable contact member 20. At this time, the center contact 64 of the counterpart contact probe 60 is in electrical contact with the center electrode pattern 25. Then, when the counterpart contact probe 60 is rotated 45 degrees with the rotating member 62 inserted into the recess 24, the movable contact member 20 rotates and slides accordingly. The convex portion 14 of the load terminal 13 is temporarily disengaged from the positioning hole 29 and re-engaged with the adjacent positioning hole 29. As shown in FIG. 7, the signal switching electrode pattern 26 rotates 45 degrees, and the short electrode portion 27 is disposed between the common electrode pattern 33 and the contact / separation electrode pattern 34. That is, since the distance L34 from the center of the movable contact member 20 to the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 is longer than the length L27 of the short electrode portion 27, the contact / separation electrode pattern 34 and the short electrode portion 27 are in a dissociated (cut) state. become. On the other hand, since the distance L33 from the center of the movable contact member 20 to the common electrode pattern 33 is shorter than the length L27 of the short electrode portion 27, the common electrode pattern 33 and the short electrode portion 27 are connected.
[0029]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the signal path is switched to signal pattern 81 -common electrode pattern 33 -signal switching electrode pattern 26 -center electrode pattern 25 -center contact 64. At this time, since the convex portions 14 of the two load terminals 13 engage with the positioning holes 29 of the movable contact member 20, the movable contact member 20 can be accurately positioned with respect to the external terminal 5. Since the operator can obtain a lock feeling that the convex portion 14 of the load load terminal 13 and the positioning hole 29 are engaged, the signal path switching operation can be reliably performed. Further, even if the movable contact member 20 rotates and slides, since the displacement of the load terminal 13 is slight, fatigue due to repeated displacement hardly occurs and the spring property is hardly deteriorated.
[0030]
When the counterpart contact probe 60 is removed from the coaxial connector 1, the counterpart contact probe 60 is removed after the rotation member 62 is rotated by 45 degrees. As a result, the movable contact member 20 rotates and slides again, and returns to the signal path of the signal pattern 81-common electrode pattern 33-signal switching electrode pattern 26-contacting / separating electrode pattern 34-signal pattern 82. Thus, by rotating and sliding the movable contact member 20 using the counterpart contact probe 60, the signal path can be switched easily and with high reliability.
[0031]
In the coaxial connector 1 described above, the movable contact member 20 and the fixed contact member 30 are overlapped, and the movable contact member 20 is rotated and slid while being guided by the inner peripheral surface 11 of the external terminal 5. , 34 are in contact with or separated from each other, the signal path inside the coaxial connector 1 can be easily configured. Further, since the electrode patterns 26, 33, and 34 are formed directly on the surfaces of the movable contact member 20 and the fixed contact member 30, the arrangement positions of the electrode patterns 26, 33, and 34 are stabilized, and the coaxial connector 1 is assembled. Variations in the finished accuracy that occur are reduced. Further, since the movable contact member 20 is rotated by utilizing the rotation of the rotation member 62 of the counterpart contact probe 60, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for applying a rotational force in the coaxial connector 1, and the structure becomes simple.
[0032]
Furthermore, since the electrode patterns 26, 33 and 34 are in sliding contact with each other, even if dirt or foreign matter adheres to the surface of the electrode patterns 26, 33 or 34, the dirt or foreign matter is removed by the sliding operation. Therefore, the electrical connection reliability between the electrode patterns 26, 33, and 34 is improved.
[0033]
[Second Embodiment, FIG. 9]
In the second embodiment, an example in which the communication device according to the present invention is applied to a mobile phone will be described.
[0034]
FIG. 9 is an electric circuit block diagram of the high-frequency circuit unit of the mobile phone 120. In FIG. 9, 122 is an antenna element, 123 is a duplexer, 125 is a changeover switch, 131 is a transmission side isolator, 132 is a transmission side amplifier, 133 is a bandpass filter for transmission side stages, 134 is a transmission side mixer, and 135 is reception. The side amplifier 136 is a reception-side interband bandpass filter, 137 is a reception-side mixer, 138 is a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and 139 is a local bandpass filter.
[0035]
Here, the coaxial connector 1 of the first embodiment can be used as the changeover switch 125. Thereby, for example, when the set manufacturer checks the electrical characteristics of the high-frequency circuit unit in the manufacturing process of the cellular phone 120, the measuring probe (mating contact probe) 60 connected to the measuring instrument is fitted to the coaxial connector 1. , The signal path from the high frequency circuit section to the antenna element 122 can be switched to the signal path from the high frequency circuit section to the measuring instrument. When the measurement probe 60 is rotated again and then removed from the coaxial connector 1, the signal path from the high-frequency circuit unit to the antenna element 122 is restored. By mounting the coaxial connector 1, it is possible to realize a small-sized, highly reliable, and low-cost mobile phone 120.
[0036]
[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed to various configurations within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the rotation angle of the movable contact member 20 when switching the signal path may be changed by changing the number of the signal switching electrode patterns 26 and the positioning holes 29 of the movable contact member 20.
[0037]
Further, the rotation member 62 attached to the distal end portion of the counterpart contact probe 60 of the first embodiment does not have a rotation function and needs to be given a rotation force from the outside. For example, the rotation member 62 When the distal end portion is inserted into the concave portion 24 of the coaxial connector 1 and pressure is applied to the distal end portion, the rotation member 62 may automatically rotate by a predetermined angle.
[0038]
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the mating contact probe may have a shield outer conductor 65 outside the probe body. When the counterpart contact probe 61 is attached to the coaxial connector 1 as shown in FIG. 11, the center contact 64 and the center electrode pattern 25 are electrically connected, and at the same time, the shielding outer conductor 65 is connected to the external terminal. 5, the shield outer conductor 65 is also electrically connected to the external terminal 5. Thereby, the electrical characteristics of the device on which the coaxial connector 1 is mounted can be measured without being affected by the electromagnetic field from the outside.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the movable contact member and the stationary contact member are overlapped, and the movable contact member is rotated and slid while being guided by the inner peripheral surface of the external terminal. Since the electrode pattern, the common electrode pattern, and the contact / separation electrode pattern are brought into contact with or separated from each other, the signal path inside the coaxial connector can be easily configured. In addition, since the signal switching electrode pattern, the common electrode pattern, and the contact / separation electrode pattern are directly formed on the surface of the movable contact member or the fixed contact member, the signal switching electrode pattern, the common electrode pattern, and the contact / separation electrode pattern The arrangement position is stable, and the variation in finishing accuracy that occurs when the coaxial connector is assembled is reduced. Further, since the movable contact member is rotated by utilizing the rotation of the rotation member of the counterpart contact probe, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for applying a rotational force in the coaxial connector, and the structure can be simplified.
[0040]
In addition, the center contact and the center electrode pattern of the mating contact probe can be electrically connected, and when the mating contact probe is rotated, the movable contact member rotates and slides, and the movable contact member can be locked at a certain rotation angle. Therefore, switching of the signal path to the counterpart contact probe can be ensured.
[0041]
In addition, the communication device according to the present invention includes the coaxial connector having the above-described characteristics, so that the size and cost can be reduced and the reliability can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a coaxial connector according to the present invention.
2 is a bottom view of the movable contact member shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is an external perspective view of the coaxial connector shown in FIG. 1 after assembly is completed.
4 is a bottom view of the coaxial connector shown in FIG. 3. FIG.
5 is a top view of the coaxial connector shown in FIG. 3. FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view of the coaxial connector taken along the line VI-VI shown in FIG.
7 is a top view for explaining a state after signal path switching of the coaxial connector shown in FIG. 3; FIG.
8 is a VIII-VIII cross-sectional view of the coaxial connector shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an electric circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of a communication apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view showing a modification of the mating contact probe.
11 is a vertical sectional view showing a state where the mating contact probe shown in FIG. 10 is mounted on a coaxial connector.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Coaxial connector 5 ... External terminal 12 ... Opening part 13 ... Load terminal 14 ... Convex part 20 ... Movable contact member 24 ... Concave part 25 ... Center electrode pattern 26 ... Signal switching electrode pattern 27 ... Short electrode part 28 ... Long Electrode 29 ... positioning hole (rotation locking means)
30 ... Fixed contact member 33 ... Common electrode pattern 34 ... Contact / separation electrode pattern 120 ... Mobile phone (communication device)

Claims (4)

An external terminal provided with an opening into which the mating contact probe is inserted;
A center electrode pattern that is disposed in the external terminal so as to be rotatable and slidable, contacts with the center contact of the mating contact probe, and a signal switching electrode pattern that is electrically connected to the center electrode pattern is provided . A movable contact member provided with a recess into which a rotation member provided at the tip of the contact probe is fitted, and the central electrode pattern disposed in the recess ;
A fixed contact member disposed in a fixed state in the external terminal and provided with a common electrode pattern and a contact / separation electrode pattern that are in sliding contact with the signal switching electrode pattern;
As the mating contact probe is mounted, the rotating member fits into the recess, and the movable contact member rotates and slides with the rotation of the rotating member, so that the signal switching electrode pattern is in contact with and separated from the contact pattern. Configured to dissociate from the electrode pattern for
Coaxial connector characterized by The coaxial connector according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning hole that engages with an elastic member when the movable contact member is rotated by the rotating member . Each surface of the center electrode pattern, the signal switching electrode pattern, the common electrode pattern, and the contact / separation electrode pattern is subjected to surface treatment with Ni as a base and one of Au and Ag. The coaxial connector according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the coaxial connector is characterized in that: A communication apparatus comprising the coaxial connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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