Tubular circuit connector

• US 6,224,394 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Company Limited (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Polymer Company Limited (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Shuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NASRI, JAVAID H
• Application Number:
  US09/599,437
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 439/66, 439/91, 439/591
• US Class Current: 439/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/52 connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7082 Coupling device supported only by cooperation with PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2414 conductive elastomers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/007 for elastomeric connecting elements

Abstract

Disclosed is a rubber-based tubular circuit connector used for electric connection between two oppositely facing sets of electrode terminals in assemblage of electronic instruments. The tubular connector comprises an elongated core tube of an insulating rubber such as a silicone rubber and a multiplicity of ring-formed cladding layers thereon arranged at a regular pitch to provide the contacting surface. Each of the ring-formed cladding layers has a bilayered structure consisting of a coating layer of a synthetic resin formed on the core tube and contacting layer of gold formed on the coating layers of the synthetic resin. The rubber-based tubular connector is prepared by (a) forming a uniform coating layer of a synthetic resin on a tubular body of a silicone rubber, (b) partially removing the coating layer from ringformed areas by using a laser beam to form ring grooves reaching the surface of the core tube, and (c) forming plating layers of gold on the ring-formed coating layers of the synthetic resin.

Claims

1. A rubber-based tubular circuit connector which is an integral tubular body comprising:

(A) an elongated tubular body of an electrically insulating rubber as a core tube; and

(B) a multiplicity of ring-formed cladding layers formed on and around the core tube as arranged in the axial direction of the core tube at a regular pitch, each of the ring-formed cladding layers having a bilayered structure consisting of (B1) a base layer of a synthetic resin on the surface of the core tube and (B2) a contacting layer of a metal on the base layer, and each of the ring-formed cladding layers being electrically insulated from the adjacent cladding layer with intervention of a ring groove therebetween.

2. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the metal forming the contacting layer is gold.

3. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the electrically insulating rubber is a silicone rubber.

4. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the electrically insulating rubber has a rubber hardness in the range from 30°

H to 80°

H in the JIS A scale.

5. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the ring groove has a depth to reach the surface of the core tube.

6. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the synthetic resin forming the base layer is selected from the group consisting of ABS resins and polypropylene resins.

7. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 in which the base layer of a synthetic resin has a thickness in the range from 0.5 to 20 μ

m.

8. The rubber-based tubular circuit connector as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a pair of reinforcement rubber strips adhesively bonded to the outer surface thereof along the radially oppositely facing side lines in the axial direction.

9. An electronic instrument assembled by comprising two sets of electrode terminals arranged in oppositely facing first and second arrays in which the electrode terminals of the first array and the electrode terminals of the second arrays are electrically connected with intervention of the rubber-based tubular circuit connector as defined in claim 1, therebetween under a compressive force to deform the tubular body of rubber with elastic resilience.

11. An electronic instrument assembled by comprising two sets of electrode terminals arranged in oppositely facing first and second arrays in which the electrode terminals of the first array and the electrode terminals of the second array are electrically connected with intervention of the rubber-based tubular circuit connector as defined in claim 9 therebetween under a compressive force to deform the tubular body of rubber with elastic resilience.

10. A rubber-based tubular circuit connector which is an integral tubular body comprising;

(A) an elongated tubular body of an electrically insulating rubber as a core tube; and

(B) a multiplicity of ring-formed cladding layers formed on and around the core tube as arranged in the axial direction of the core tube at a regular pitch, each of the ring-formed cladding layers having a bilayered structure consisting of (B1) a base layer of nickel on the surface of the core tube and (B2) a contacting layer of gold on the base layer, and each of the ring-formed cladding layers being electrically insulated from the adjacent cladding layer with intervention of a ring groove therebetween.

13. An electronic instrument assembled by comprising two sets of electrode terminals arranged in oppositely facing first and second arrays in which the electrode terminals of the first array and the electrode terminals of the second array are electrically connected with intervention of the rubber-based tubular circuit connector as defined in claim 10 therebetween under a compressive force to deform the tubular body of rubber with elastic resilience.

12. A rubber-based tubular circuit connector which is an integral tubular body comprising;

(A) an elongated tubular body of an electrically insulating rubber as a core tube; and

(B1) a multiplicity of ring-formed contacting layers of a metal formed on and around the core tube as arranged in the axial direction of the core tube at a regular pitch, each of the ring-formed contacting layers being electrically insulated from the adjacent cladding layer with intervention of (B2) a ring-formed coating layer of a polysilane compound on and around the surface of the core tube.