JPH08148359A - Connector for lan - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve reliability in signal transmission and provide a long-life connector and a low-cost interface part, by positioning coils of first and second connectors oppositely with an insulating part in between, and connecting these coils through electromagnetic coupling. CONSTITUTION: Each cover 19 for two connectors 14 is put opposite, and a first coil 27 and a second coil 28 are put behind the cover 19. Two ferrite cores 16 are put on the rear side of the first and second coils 27 and 28. While coils of two connectors 14 are put opposite to each other, the connector is connected to a signal transmission cable. In this state, the connectors on the system side and on the board side are put in a state of electromagnetic coupling. Then, reliability in signal transmission can be improved and a long-life connector is provided, and at the same time the cost is reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for a signal transmission path of a LAN (local area network), and particularly, LAN (communication using a twisted pair cable such as 10BASE-T, TPDDI). The present invention relates to a non-contact type LAN connector used for a connection portion with a signal transmission cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of a conventional example, FIG. 15A is a configuration example of LAN (10BASE-T), FIG. 16B is a circuit diagram of an interface portion which is a connection portion with a cable, and C is
The figure is a specific example of the connector. In FIG. 15, 1 is a hub (hub: concentrator), 2-1 to 2-n are devices (PC, workstation, etc.), 3 is an interface part (3
a is a connector, 3b is a pulse transformer, 4 is a cable (signal transmission cable), 6 is a female connector, 7 is a male connector, 8 is an insertion hole, and 9 and 10 are contact conductors (contacts).

Conventionally, a 10BASE-T configuration as shown in FIG. 15A is known as a concrete example of a LAN star type or tree type topology (topology: interconnection of nodes in a network). Was there.

A specific example of this 10BASE-T has a network configuration in which a plurality of devices (personal computers, workstations, etc.) 2-1 to 2-n are connected to a central hub 1 by a cable 4. Is.

A connector 3 is provided at the connecting portion with the cable 4.
An interface portion 3 composed of a and a pulse transformer 3b is provided. This pulse transformer 3b
Is provided in order to avoid an influence (a failure of the device) on a device or a hub caused by a defect such as a short circuit or a high voltage application generated in the cable.

The cable 4 is a cable for voice and data communication and uses four pairs of unshielded twisted pair cables. Then, between the hub 1 and the devices 2-1 to 2-n, signal transmission by a baseband signal is performed via the cable 4 (transmission rate: 10 Mb).
ps).

As the connector 3a, a connector having a structure as shown in FIG. 15C has been used. The connector 3 is composed of a female connector 6 and a male connector 7. The female connector 6 is provided with an insertion hole 8 into which the male connector 7 is inserted, and the insertion hole 8 is provided with a plurality of wires (in this example, eight wires are actually used). 4) contact conductors (contact conductors having a spring property) 9 are provided.

The male connector 7 has a plurality of contact conductors 1 (eight in this example, but four are actually used) for contacting the contact conductors 9 of the female connector 6.
0 is provided and the contact conductor 10 is connected to the cable 4. In this case, the female connector 6 is connected to the cable 4 on the hub 1 side, and the male connector 7 is connected to the devices 2-1 to 2-2.
It is connected to the cable 4 on the −n side.

When using the devices 2-1 to 2-n,
The male connector 7 connected to the cable 4 on the device side is inserted into the insertion hole 8 of the female connector 6 connected to the cable 4 on the hub 1 side to bring the contact conductors 9 and 10 into contact with each other. By (mechanically bringing the contact conductors into contact with each other), the signal transmission cables between the devices 2-1 to 2-n and the hub 1 are connected.

Data communication between the devices is performed in the connected state. When the data communication is completed, the male connector 7 is removed from the female connector 6 of the connector 3,
Disconnect the device from the hub 1. That is, by connecting / disconnecting the connector, the signal transmission cable is connected / disconnected.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned conventional device has the following problems.

(1): As described above, the mechanically connecting / disconnecting connector is used for the signal transmission path between the hub and the device (personal computer or the like). For this reason, if the number of times of use increases, the contact conductor of the connector may be fatigued or worn to cause poor contact.

If a contact failure occurs in the connector as described above, normal signal transmission cannot be performed and malfunction may occur. As a result, the reliability of signal transmission deteriorates. In addition, the connector has mechanical life because it is mechanically connected and disconnected.

(2): The interface portion where the hub and the device are connected to the signal transmission cable is composed of the pulse transformer and the connector, which contributed to the high cost.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem and improves the reliability of signal transmission by using a non-contact type connector as a connector for connecting a cable for signal transmission of LAN. The purpose is to achieve a longer life and reduce the cost of the interface part.

[0016]

A LAN according to claim 1, wherein:
The connector for LAN is a LAN connector used for a connection portion with a signal transmission cable of LAN, and when the first connector and the second connector are arranged to face each other, the first connector and the second connector In addition, the respective coil portions are provided so as to face each other via an insulating member, and the coils are electromagnetically coupled to each other.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the LAN connector according to the first aspect, the LAN connector described above sandwiches two opposing coil portions provided in the first connector and the second connector, respectively. Two ferrite cores are arranged.

[0018]

According to the LAN connector of the first aspect,
When the first connector and the second connector are arranged so as to face each other, the first connector and the second connector are provided so that their coil portions face each other via an insulating member, and between these coils. Is electromagnetically coupled, the reliability of signal transmission can be improved, the life of the connector can be extended, and the cost of the interface portion can be reduced.

According to the LAN connector of the second aspect, in addition to the LAN connector of the first aspect, two opposing coil portions provided on the first connector and the second connector are sandwiched. In addition, since the two ferrite cores are arranged, the transmission loss between the opposing coils can be extremely reduced and the signal transmission characteristics can be improved.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the principle of the present invention, showing a state where connectors are connected (opposed). In the connector connected state, the pair of coil portions 33 face each other via the insulating member 34, and these coil portions are electromagnetically coupled. That is, in the connector-connected state, it functions like a pulse transformer.

Therefore, in the LAN connector of the present invention, as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 2, the first connector 35 and the second connector 36 are connected to the primary side of the pulse transformer in the connected state. It works according to the secondary side. From this, it is sufficient that the insulating member 34 of FIG. 1 has a thickness and a material that can ensure the withstand voltage required between the primary side and the secondary side of the pulse transformer, and there are a plurality of insulating members. May be.

For example, as shown in FIG.
Two pieces of the coil portion 33 provided on the surface 7 covered with the insulating coating 38 may be arranged so as to face each other so that the insulating coating 38 contacts. In this case, two layers of insulating film are sandwiched between the coil portions 33 facing each other.

In FIG. 3B, the coil portion 33 is provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion provided in the device, and the coil portion 33 fitted to this portion is in contact with the coil portion 33 provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion of the box body 39. The coil portion 33 is provided on the back side of the surface. In this case, the bottom surface of the box body 39 is sandwiched between the coil portions.
Further, the coil portion 33 provided on the bottom surface of the box body 39 and the recessed portion
Do not necessarily have to be in contact.

By arranging the pair of coils so as to face each other with the insulating member interposed therebetween, the pair of coil portions can be electromagnetically coupled and signal transmission can be performed without contact.

Further, as shown in the side view of FIG. 4, even when the opposing coil portions 33 are sandwiched by the ferrite cores 41 with the insulating member 34 interposed therebetween, the opposing coil portions are electromagnetically coupled to each other, and Signal transmission can be performed by contact. Here, the coil portion 33 and the ferrite 41 are not necessarily in contact with each other.

As described above, since the connector of the present invention is a non-contact type connector and is not a connector for mechanically inserting and removing as in the prior art, contact failure does not occur.
Good signal transmission can always be performed. Therefore, the reliability of signal transmission can be improved and the life of the connector can be extended.

Further, when the conventional contact type connector is used, the influence of a short circuit, a high voltage application or the like occurring in the signal transmission cable on the hub or the device (device failure)
In order to avoid this, the cable was connected via a pulse transformer, but when the connector of the present invention is used, the pulse transformer can be omitted.

That is, in the past, the pulse transformer was used to electromagnetically couple with the signal transmission cable, but with the connector of the present invention, this connector can be electromagnetically coupled. Further, in the pulse transformer, a sufficient withstand voltage cannot be ensured between the primary side and the secondary side, and a withstand voltage defect may occur. However, by using the connector of the present invention, the withstand voltage can be surely ensured.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

5 to 14 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 5 to 14, the same parts as those in FIG. 15 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 2 is a device, 14 is a connector, 15 is a case, 16 is a ferrite core, 18 is a printed circuit board,
19 is a cover, 20 is a mounting piece, 21 is a mounting hole,
Reference numeral 22 is a concave portion, 23 is a partition wall, 25 is a base, 27 is a first coil, 28 is a second coil, 29 is a drawing pad portion,
Reference numeral 30 is a wiring pattern, and 32 is an adhesive.

§1: Description of LAN and connector in the embodiment The configuration of the LAN applied in this embodiment is the same as the configuration of the LAN described in the conventional example (see FIG. 15). The present embodiment relates to a connector to be connected to the 10BASE-T signal transmission cable described in the conventional example.

That is, the connector of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
The interface portion 3 (connector 3a, pulse transformer 3b) shown in 1 is configured as a non-contact type connector described below, and has the functions of the conventional connector 3a and pulse transformer 3b.

In the LAN, signal transmission between the hub and each device has a data transmission rate of 10 Mbps (5 MH).
z and 10 MHz signals), for example, a baseband signal is transmitted by a Manchester code signal.

Therefore, in order to perform good signal transmission using the non-contact type connector, the characteristics of the connector (particularly, the output voltage characteristic) are 5 MHz and 10 M.
Wide frequency band including Hz frequency (eg 1MHz
It is necessary to obtain a sufficient gain (voltage gain) in the frequency band of -10 MHz.

A non-contact type connector used for connecting a signal transmission cable for connecting a hub (concentrator) to each device (personal computer, etc.) in a LAN will be described below.

The LAN connector of the present embodiment is a pair of connectors consisting of a first connector and a second connector (a device-side connector to be connected to each device-side cable and a hub to be connected to a hub-side cable). Side connector), the pair of connectors have the same structure.

In the following description, of the pair of connectors forming the LAN connector, the first connector is the device-side connector and the second connector is the hub-side connector or the base-side connector connected to the hub. .

§2: Description of connector configuration ... FIGS.
See FIG. 8. FIG. 5 is an external view of the connector. FIG. 5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a side view in the X direction of FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the connector, FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the connector, and FIG. 3B is an attachment diagram of the connector.

As described above, the LAN connector is the first
The connector (apparatus side connector) and the second connector (hub side connector or base side connector) have a pair of connectors, which have the same configuration.
The structure of one of the connectors is shown in FIGS.

As shown, the connector 14 is a case 1
5, printed circuit board 1 on which two ferrite cores 16 and two coils (first coil, second coil) are formed
8 and a cover 19. And case 1
Mounting pieces 20 each having a mounting hole 21 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of 5, respectively.

Further, the case 15 is provided with two recesses 22 with the partition wall 23 interposed therebetween, and the ferrite core 16 can be housed in the recesses 22. Further, the printed circuit board 18 is provided with two coils at a predetermined interval, and a conductor of a cable can be connected to the coils (details will be described later).

In the connector 14, the ferrite cores 16 are housed in the two recesses 22 of the case 15, respectively, and the printed circuit board 18 having two coils formed thereon is placed on the upper side of the ferrite cores 16 and the cover is provided thereon. It is covered with 19. Incidentally, the case 15 and the cover 19
Is made of resin.

The connector 14 having such a structure is fixed to, for example, the bottom of an apparatus such as a personal computer and a table on which the apparatus is placed (eg, table, desk, work table, etc.). It is shown in FIG.

As shown, make a hole in a part of the base 25,
The connector 14 is inserted into this hole, and a screw is inserted into the mounting hole 21 (the screw is not shown in the drawing) and fixed. In this case, the upper surface of the cover 19 of the connector 14 and the upper surface of the base 25 are flush with each other.

§3: Description of printed circuit board and coil ...
See FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a printed circuit board and a coil, FIG. 7A is a plan view of the printed circuit board, and FIG.

Two coils are formed on the printed circuit board 18, one example of which is shown in FIG. In this example, the first coil 27 and the second coil 2 are provided on the printed circuit board 18.
8 are formed at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of pad portions 29 for extraction are provided between them. This drawer pad portion 29
Is an electrode (electrode) for connecting to each conductor in the signal transmission cable (connection by soldering or the like).

The printed circuit board 18 is used to connect the lead-out conductors of the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 (conductors serving as lead wires at the coil ends) and the lead-out pad portion 29. A wiring pattern 30 (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) is formed on the top. That is, by forming the wiring pattern 30, the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 are connected to the lead pad portion 29.

When the connector is connected to the cable, the conductor of the cable is connected to the lead-out pad portion 29 by soldering or the like. In this case, for example, the first coil 27 is used as the transmitting side coil and the second coil 28 is used as the receiving side coil.

The first coil 27 and the second coil 28 are formed as spiral (spiral) coils as shown in FIG. As a method of forming these coils, for example, there is the following method.

A method of forming a coil pattern by using a copper-clad laminated substrate and etching the substrate.

A method for forming a thick film coil pattern by forming a thick film coil pattern on a substrate by printing a conductor paste or the like and baking the coil pattern. In this case, for example, an alumina substrate is used as the substrate.

A method of attaching a film coil to the inside of the cover or the ferrite core with an adhesive or the like.

A method of directly forming a coil pattern on the inside of the cover.

§4: Explanation when assembling connector ...
See FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of assembly of the connector. The connector having the above-mentioned structure is assembled using the adhesive after manufacturing the respective parts as follows.

Before assembling the connector, the case 15, the two ferrite cores 16, the first coil,
Also, the printed board 18 on which the second coil is formed and the cover 19 are manufactured. After preparing each of the above components, as shown in the figure, the back side of the cover 19, the back side of the printed circuit board 18 (the surface on which the coil is not formed), and the ferrite core 16 are provided.
Adhesive 32 is applied to one surface.

Then, the printed board 18 is placed on the cover 19, and the printed board 1 is placed on the cover 19 with the adhesive 32.
Fix 8 Next, the two ferrite cores 16 are placed on the printed circuit board 18, and the ferrite core 16 is fixed to the printed circuit board 18 with the adhesive 32.

Then, the case 15 is placed on the ferrite core 16 and the ferrite core 1 is bonded with the adhesive 32.
The case 15 is fixed to 6. The connector is assembled by the above assembling process. The completed connectors are connected to the signal transmission cable as two sets.

§5: Description when using connector--see FIG. 9 FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the usage state of the connector, FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a connector usage state, FIG. Shows an equivalent circuit.

An example of using the connector is shown in FIG.
It will be described based on. In this example, the device (PC, etc.)
2 and a table (table, work table, etc.) on which the apparatus 2 is placed 2
5 are provided with connectors 14 on both sides to enable non-contact signal transmission.

In this case, as shown in FIG. A, a connector 14 is provided on a part of the bottom surface of the device (personal computer etc.) 2 so as to be flush with the bottom surface (embedded in a part of the bottom surface of the device). ), The connector 14 is also provided on a part of the upper surface of the base 25 on which the device 2 is placed so as to be flush with the upper surface of the base 25 (embedded in a part of the upper side of the base).

That is, a part of the bottom of the device 2 and the table 25
By providing the connector 14 on a part of the upper surface side of the device 2, when the device 2 is placed on the table 25, the connector 1 of the device 2
4 and the connector 14 of the base 25 can be arranged to face each other, and the distance between the two connectors should be as small as possible (the two connectors should be as close as possible).

When data communication is actually performed using the connector having the above-described structure, for example, a display for positioning the device 2 or a positioning piece is provided at a predetermined position above the table 25. Then, when the device 2 is positioned at a predetermined position with the device 2 placed on such a table 25,
The connector 14 on the device 2 side and the connector 14 on the stand 25 side are positioned so as to face each other.

The component arrangement relationship of each connector when positioned as described above is as shown in FIG. In this positioning state, the covers 19 of the two connectors 14 are arranged to face each other, the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 are arranged on the rear side of the cover 19, and the first coil 27, and Two ferrite cores 16 are arranged on the rear side of the second coil 28.

An equivalent circuit of the connector 14 in the use state is shown in FIG. For example, the first coil 27 of the device-side connector and the first coil 27 of the table-side connector are used as the transmission-side coils, and the second coil 28 of the device-side connector,
And the second coil 28 of the table connector is used as a receiving coil.

In this manner, the signal transmission cables are connected to the connectors while the coils of the two connectors are arranged opposite to each other. That is, in the above state, the device side connector and the table side connector are arranged in a state capable of electromagnetic coupling, and the connectors are in the connected state.

Therefore, for example, when a transmission signal is input to the first coil 27 of the device side connector, this signal is transmitted to the second coil 28 of the stand side connector electromagnetically coupled to the first coil 27. And then transmitted to the hub 1 via the cable 4.

The signal transmitted from the hub 1 is
The data is input to the first coil 27 of the table-side connector, transmitted to the second coil 28 of the device-side connector electromagnetically coupled to the first coil 27, and received by the device.

In this way, data communication is performed with the connectors connected, and when the data communication is completed, the device side connector is separated from the device side connector by removing the device 2 from the base 25. The electromagnetic coupling between the two connectors is released and the connectors are removed.

As described above, the connector can be connected only by placing the device 2 on the base 25, and when the device 2 is removed from the base 25, the connection of the connector is automatically released. It This eliminates the need for connecting and disconnecting the connector, and improves workability when setting the device.

§6: Description of experimental example ... FIGS. 10 to 14
Reference In order to confirm the characteristics of the connector, an experiment was conducted on a plurality of connector samples. In this experiment, the two connectors connected to the cable were placed facing each other (Fig.
The same arrangement as the usage state of the connector shown in 1), and the signal input from one connector and output from the other connector (the output voltage of the connector, etc.) was measured through the cable.

Of the connectors used in the experiment, 2
An experimental example of two samples (Sample # 1 and Sample # 2) will be described.

(1): Description of Experimental Example--See FIG. 10 FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an experimental example, FIG. 10A is a layout explanatory diagram with a core, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing sample data of a connector. is there.

In the experiment, the connector samples (Sample # 1 and Sample # 2) were used, and the two connectors were arranged facing each other in the same condition as the condition of use of the connector shown in FIG.

In this case, an experiment was conducted on a connector using the ferrite core 16 (with core) and a connector not using the ferrite core 16 (without core). The connector when using the ferrite core 16 (with core) The arrangement is shown in FIG. 10A. In FIG. 10A, one of the two connectors is the first connector and the other connector is the second connector.

As shown, the first connector and the second connector
Predetermined wiring is provided on each of the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 of the connector, and is connected to the cable 4. Then, the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 are positioned and arranged so as to face each other. In this case, the first
The coil 27 was used as a transmission side coil, and the second coil 28 was used as a reception side coil.

In the connector arrangement described above, the distance d between the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 is d = 3.2.
The first coil 27 and the second coil 28 are electromagnetically coupled to each other by setting them to be mm. And the first
A signal was input between the terminals a and b of the connector No. 1 and the signal output from the terminals e and f of the second connector was measured.

When the ferrite core 16 is not used (no core), the ferrite core 16 of each connector is removed and electromagnetic coupling is performed only by the first coil 27 and the second coil 28.

The sample data of the connector used in the above experiment is shown in FIG. 10B. in this case,
The sample data is data of a connector having a coil having the structure shown in FIG. 7, and the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 have the same structure and the same size. Further, the vertical dimension (outer diameter, inner diameter in the vertical direction) and the horizontal dimension (outer diameter, inner diameter in the horizontal direction) of each coil are assumed to be the same.

As shown in the figure, sample # 1 has a coil outer diameter dimension of 16.8 mm and a coil inner diameter dimension of 14.2.
mm, number of coil layers = 1, pattern width / spacing = 0.1 /
0.1 mm, number of turns = 7 turns, printed circuit board thickness =
0.5 / 0.2 mm, L value (inductance value) = 2.
It is 07 μH.

In Sample # 2, the outer diameter of the coil is 16.8 mm, the inner diameter of the coil is 12.2 mm, the number of layers of the coil is 1, and the pattern width / spacing is 0.1 / 0.1 m.
m, number of turns = 12 turns, thickness of printed circuit board = 0.5 /
0.2 mm, L value (inductance value) = 4.43 μH
Is.

(2): Description of connector characteristic of sample # 1 ... See FIG. 11 FIG. 11 is a connector characteristic diagram of sample # 1. This characteristic is obtained when the ferrite core 16 is present (with core) in the connector of sample # 1.
The experiment was conducted in the case where there was no (no core), and the illustrated characteristics were obtained from the measurement data of the experiment results.

In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis represents the signal frequency (M
Hz), and the vertical axis represents the gain (dB) of the connector. Further, in the figure, is the characteristic with the core, and is the characteristic without the core. Using the connector of Sample # 1 described above, the gap between the coils was set to 3.2 mm (see FIG. 7), and the gain (output voltage gain) of the connector was measured while changing the frequency of the signal. Got

As is clear from the characteristics shown in the figure, in the connector with core shown in, the gain of frequency 1 MHz =
Gain of −17.5 dB, frequency 5 MHz = −8.0 d
B, gain at frequency 10 MHz = −8.6 dB.

Further, in the connector without core shown in (1), gain at frequency 1 MHz = -23.3 dB, gain at frequency 5 MHz = -12.0 dB, frequency 10 MHz.
Gain was -11.1 dB.

By the way, during normal signal transmission, by electromagnetically coupling between the first coil 27 and the second coil 28, a transmission rate of 10 Mbps (waveform mixed waveform of 5 MHz and 10 MHz) according to the Manchester code is obtained. Performs baseband signal transmission.

In this case, according to the characteristics of the connector, a sufficiently large gain is practically obtained in a wide frequency band (1 MHz to 10 MHz) including the frequencies of 5 MHz and 10 MHz, and good signal transmission can be performed. I was able to prove it.

Particularly, in the characteristic (characteristic of the connector with core), as compared with the characteristic (characteristic of the connector without core), an extremely large gain is obtained in a wider frequency band, and a good signal between the two coils is obtained. Transmission becomes possible. That is, it has been proved that by providing the ferrite core 16, highly efficient signal transmission with less transmission loss can be performed between the two coils.

(3): Description of connector characteristics of sample # 2 ... See FIG. 12 FIG. 12 is a connector characteristic diagram of sample # 2. This characteristic is obtained when the ferrite core 16 is present (with core) in the connector of sample # 2.
The experiment was conducted in the case where there was no (no core), and the illustrated characteristics were obtained from the measurement data of the experiment results.

In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis represents the signal frequency (M
Hz), and the vertical axis represents the gain (dB) of the connector. Further, in the figure, is the characteristic with the core, and is the characteristic without the core.

Using the sample # 2, the gap between the first coil 27 and the second coil 28 was set to 3.2 mm, and the gain (output voltage gain) of the connector was changed while changing the frequency of the signal. As a result of the measurement, the illustrated data was obtained.

As is clear from the characteristics shown in the figure, in the state with the core shown in, the gain at the frequency of 1 MHz =-
10.0 dB, gain of frequency 5 MHz = −8.0 d
B, the gain at a frequency of 10 MHz was −11.9 dB.

In the state without core shown in (1), the gain at frequency 1 MHz is −15.8 dB, and the frequency is 5 MH.
The gain of z was −10.0 dB, and the gain of frequency 10 MHz was −11.9 dB.

Also in this case, the characteristics of the above connector are as follows.
A sufficiently large gain was obtained in a wide frequency band (1 MHz to 10 MHz) including frequencies of 5 MHz and 10 MHz, and it was verified that good signal transmission can be performed.

In particular, in the characteristic (characteristic of the connector with core), an extremely large gain is obtained in a wider frequency band as compared with the characteristic (characteristic of the connector without core), which is excellent between the two coils. Signal transmission becomes possible. That is, it has been proved that by providing the ferrite core 16, highly efficient signal transmission with less transmission loss can be performed between the two coils.

(4): Description of connector output voltage waveform
..Refer to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. FIG. 13 is a connector output voltage waveform diagram (without core),
A is a waveform when using the connector without core of sample # 1, and B is a waveform when using the connector without core of sample # 2.
FIG. 14 is a connector output voltage waveform diagram (with core),
Figure A is the waveform when using the connector with core of sample # 1,
Figure B shows the waveform of sample # 2 when using the connector with core.

13 and 14, the horizontal axis represents time (100 ns / div) and the vertical axis represents output voltage (500).
mv / div) is shown. In addition, the point shown by "trig'd" of a figure shows the trigger point of a measuring device.

The output voltage waveform shown in the figure is obtained by inputting a transmission signal between terminals a and b of the first connector (transmission side input terminal of the connector) in the arrangement of the connectors shown in FIG. 3 is a voltage waveform of a result of measuring the voltage of a signal output from the terminals e and f of the connector (output voltage of the connector) via the cable 4.

In this case, the connector with a core is the one with the ferrite core 16 (see FIG. 10A), and the connector without a core is the connector with the two ferrite cores 16 removed. In this way, the voltage waveforms of the connector with core and the connector without core were measured.
This is to compare the characteristics with and without the ferrite core 16.

As a result of the above measurement, the voltage waveform shown by e1 was obtained when using the connector without core of sample # 1 (see FIG. 13A), and when using the connector without core of sample # 2 (see FIG. 13B). The voltage waveform shown by e2 was obtained in the reference).

When the connector with core of sample # 1 is used (see FIG. 14A), the voltage waveform shown by e3 is obtained, and when the connector with core of sample # 2 is used (see FIG. 1).
The voltage waveform indicated by e4 was obtained in FIG.

When judging the quality of the connector characteristics, for example, in each voltage waveform, the crest value (amplitude) is a certain value or more, and the slice width when sliced at a certain slice level is predetermined. If the value is equal to or more than the value, it is determined that the output characteristics are good, and in other cases, it is determined that the output characteristics are not good (not unusable).

Comparing the voltage waveforms according to such a criterion, the voltage waveform indicated by e3 is better than the voltage waveform indicated by e1, and the voltage waveform indicated by e4 is the voltage waveform indicated by e2. The waveform is better. That is, the connector with core has a better voltage waveform than the connector without core.

Further, the voltage waveforms are different between sample # 1 and sample # 2 (with different coil configurations). That is, the waveform of the output voltage varies depending on the shape of the coil, the L value (inductance value), etc., but the waveform of the output voltage varies when the configuration of the coil is changed. In this example, the connector with core of sample # 2 had the best voltage waveform.

(Other Embodiments) The embodiments have been described above, but the present invention can also be implemented as follows.

(1): The first coil and the second coil formed on the printed circuit board can be directly formed on the ferrite core instead of being formed on the printed circuit board.

In this case, a coil is formed on one surface of the two ferrite cores provided in each connector by, for example, a thick film pattern. That is, the first coil is formed with a thick film pattern on one ferrite core, and the second coil is formed with a thick film pattern on the other ferrite core.

The lead-out pattern of each coil provided on the ferrite core is connected to the signal transmission cable. By doing so, a printed circuit board is not required, and accordingly, a thin and inexpensive connector can be realized.

The first coil and the second coil may be formed by the following method. : A method in which a film coil is attached to the inside of the cover or the ferrite core with an adhesive or the like. : A method of directly forming a coil pattern inside the cover.

(2): The shapes of the first coil and the second coil are not limited to the rectangular shape as in the above embodiment, but are circular,
It can be implemented in any shape such as a polygon. Further, the shape of the coil is not limited to the spiral shape, but may be a meandering shape, a helical shape (in this case, a multilayer substrate is used), or the like.

(3): The connector described in the above embodiment can be applied to other similar signal transmission paths other than LAN 10BASE-T.

[0112]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

(1): By arranging the first connector and the second connector constituting the LAN connector so as to face each other, signal transmission is performed in a contactless manner by electromagnetic coupling between the first coil and the second coil. It can be performed.

Therefore, since the connector is not a mechanically removable connector as in the prior art, contact failure does not occur and good signal transmission can always be performed. Therefore, the reliability of signal transmission can be improved.

(2): The connector can perform non-contact signal transmission and has no mechanical contact portion unlike the conventional connector, so that the life of the connector can be extended.

(3): The connection method at the connector is
By using non-contact electromagnetic coupling, it is not necessary to use a pulse transformer, and the cost can be reduced. Further, by using the connector of the present invention, the dielectric strength voltage between the first connector and the second connector can be reliably ensured.

(4): When the opposing coils are brought sufficiently close to each other, the electromagnetic coupling of the opposing coils can be made sufficiently good without the ferrite core. Therefore, even if there is no ferrite core, if the coil part is designed according to the frequency band required for signal transmission (for example,
(1 MHz to 10 MHz), a practically sufficient gain (voltage gain) can be obtained, and signal transmission with little transmission loss can be performed between opposing coils.

(5): When two ferrite cores are provided so as to sandwich the coils facing each other, a larger gain (voltage gain) can be obtained according to the frequency characteristics of the ferrite core (for example, 1 MHz to 10 MHz). .

That is, when the ferrite core is provided, the electromagnetic coupling between the opposing coils is further improved, and signal transmission with extremely low transmission loss can be performed. Therefore, by providing the ferrite core, the transmission loss between the opposing coils can be extremely reduced and the signal transmission characteristics can be improved.

(6): Since the coil of the connector is formed on the printed board by the etching process or the thick film pattern, a flat type and extremely thin connector can be manufactured. Therefore, it can be easily incorporated into a device (personal computer or the like) or a table (table or the like).

(7): If one connector is provided on the bottom surface side of the device and the other connector is provided on the upper surface side of the stand, the connectors can be connected simply by placing the device on the stand. Also, the connector can be automatically disconnected by removing the base.

Therefore, the trouble of connecting and disconnecting the connector is unnecessary, and the workability at the time of setting the device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the connector of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a specific explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a specific explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a connector in the example.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a connector in an example.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a printed circuit board and a coil in an example.

FIG. 8 is an assembly explanatory diagram of the connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of the connector according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an experimental example in the example.

FIG. 11 is a connector characteristic diagram of sample # 1 in the example.

FIG. 12 is a connector characteristic diagram of sample # 2 in the example.

FIG. 13 is a connector output voltage waveform diagram (without core) in the example.

FIG. 14 is a connector output voltage waveform diagram (with core) in the example.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 hub 2 device 3 interface part 3a conventional connector 3b pulse transformer 4 cable 14 connector 15 case 16 ferrite core 18 printed circuit board 18A coil part 19 cover 20 mounting piece 21 mounting hole 22 recess 23 partition wall 25 units 27 first coil 28 second Coil 2 No. 29 Draw-out pad part 33 Coil part 34 Insulation member 35 First connector 36 Second connector 37 Base board 38 Insulation film 41 Ferrite core

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A LAN connector used for a connection portion with a LAN signal transmission cable, wherein the first connector and the second connector are arranged when the first connector and the second connector are arranged to face each other. The LA is characterized in that the respective coil portions are provided on the connector so as to face each other via an insulating member, and the coil portions are electromagnetically coupled to each other.
N connector. 2. The first connector and the second connector according to claim 1.
2. The LAN connector according to claim 1, wherein the two ferrite cores are arranged so as to sandwich the two opposing coil portions provided in the connector.