JP2007165059A - Tab terminal, its flat wiring member connection structure, and electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tab terminal capable of connecting a flat wiring member certainly, its flat wiring member connecting structure, and an electric connection box. <P>SOLUTION: The tab terminal 5 has a stairs shape of one step bent at two places in reverse directions. A vertical face at upper part of the stairs shape is made a first face 5a, a horizontal face following it is made a second face 5b, and the vertical face at further lower part is made a third face 5c. The upper end portion of the first face 5a is chamfered so that the member may be narrower toward the upper part, and the third face 5c becomes smaller in width and thinner in thickness as it goes toward the lower part. The flat wiring member 3 has a conductive member 3a covered by an insulating member 3b, and has a land 4 formed in which the upper side of the insulating member 3b is peeled off and the conductive member 3a is exposed at a prescribed location. The bottom face of the second face 5b is jointed electrically to the exposed conductive member 3b at this land 4. Further, the third face 5c is engaged with a hole 1a (2a) facing the wiring face 1S (2S) and fastens the flat wiring member to an insulating panel 1 (2). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connection box for connecting terminals and wiring of electrical components mounted on an automobile or the like, a tab terminal installed on the electrical connection box, a flat wiring material connection structure thereof, and an electrical connection box.

  In recent years, with the increasing functionality of automobiles and the like, the number of electrical components mounted on automobiles and the like is increasing. Generally, the wire harness which is the terminal of these electrical components and wiring of an electrical component is collected for every site | part connected, and is connected to an electrical junction box.

  The electrical junction box is configured to include a circuit that electrically connects electrical components and a case that houses the circuit inside and includes a connector that engages with relays, fuses, and other electrical components on the outer surface. .

  The circuit material of the conventional electrical junction box is constituted by a bus bar obtained by punching a metal plate into an arbitrary shape and bending it, and it costs high to manufacture a die for punching the metal plate, and the degree of freedom in circuit design is low.

Then, the wiring electrical connection box which uses the flat wiring materials, such as a flexible printed circuit board, as a circuit material instead of a bus bar, and electrically connects the terminal of an electrical component and a wire harness is proposed (patent document 1). This eliminates the need for a metal mold manufacturing process such as a busbar electrical junction box, reduces the cost by using inexpensive wires, and can be freely formed by wiring with a flat wiring material, so the degree of freedom in circuit design is also high. .
JP-A-11-234857

  However, in such an electrical junction box, the flat wiring member is fixed to the insulating plate using a fixing or locking tool, and the manufacturing process for providing the fixing or locking tool becomes complicated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the tab terminal which can fix a flat wiring material to an insulating board, its flat wiring material connection structure, and an electrical connection box. .

  The first tab terminal according to the present invention includes a connection terminal portion made of a plate piece and a base terminal side of the connection terminal portion, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the connection terminal portion extends. Provided at the other end of the conductor connection portion that is not connected to the connection terminal portion of the conductor connection portion, which is joined to the conductor by surface contact, and orthogonal to the direction in which the conductor connection portion extends and opposite to the connection terminal portion And a locking portion for fixing the connection terminal to the terminal receiving hole of the insulating substrate and integrally forming a single metal piece by bending the metal piece.

  The second tab terminal according to the present invention includes a connection terminal portion made of a plate piece, and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the connection terminal portion extends and is provided on the base end side of the connection terminal portion. Provided at the other end of the conductor connection portion that is not connected to the connection terminal portion of the conductor connection portion, which is joined to the conductor by surface contact, and orthogonal to the direction in which the conductor connection portion extends and opposite to the connection terminal portion A first locking portion for fixing the connection terminal to the first terminal receiving hole of the insulating substrate, and an end portion connected to the connection terminal portion of the conductor connection portion; A second locking portion that extends perpendicular to the direction in which the connecting portion extends and is opposite to the connecting terminal portion, and that fixes the connecting terminal to the second terminal receiving hole of the insulating substrate, and a piece of metal Are integrally formed by bending.

  According to the present invention, the tab terminal and the flat wiring member can be fixed to the insulating substrate by integrally forming the locking portion on the tab terminal.

  Embodiments of an electrical junction box according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an electrical junction box according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The 1st and 2nd insulation panels 1 and 2 which consist of insulating materials, such as resin, are distribute | arranged via the predetermined clearance gap d. A single flat wiring material 3 is placed on one side (wiring surfaces 1S, 2S) of the first and second insulation panels so as to straddle one of the edges 1e, 2e. On the material 3, a plurality of tab terminals 5 formed by bending metal at predetermined positions are arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tab terminal 5 has a one-step staircase shape in which a single metal plate is bent in two places in the opposite direction. Here, the upper vertical surface of the staircase shape is defined as the first surface 5a, the subsequent horizontal surface is defined as the second surface 5b, and the lower vertical surface is defined as the third surface 5c. The upper end portion of the first surface 5a is tapered so that the member becomes thinner as it goes up, and the width and the thickness of the third surface 5c become smaller as it goes down.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the flat wiring member 3, the conductive material 3a is covered with the insulating material 3b, and the land 4 is formed where the upper surface of the insulating material 3b is peeled off at a predetermined position to expose the conductive material 3a. ing. The bottom surface of the second surface 5 b is electrically joined to the conductive material 3 b exposed in the land 4. Further, the third surface 5c is engaged with the hole 1a (2a) facing the wiring surface 1S (2S) to fix the flat wiring material to the insulation panel 1 (2).

  As shown in FIG. 4, locking tools 6 are provided at the four corners of the first and second insulation panels 1 and 2. The locking tool 6 is formed with a pressing portion 6b extending downward in the circumferential direction from the upper end of the rod-like base portion 6a. This locking tool 6 protrudes from a hole 3c provided at a predetermined location of the flat wiring member 3, and is fixed so that the four corners of the flat wiring member 3 are pressed against the insulation panel 1 (2).

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the electric junction box.

  As for the 1st and 2nd insulation panels 1 and 2, the back surfaces which are not wired via the insulating material 7 are overlapped. A box-shaped upper case 8 opened in a direction facing the first insulation panel 1 is disposed on the wiring surface side of the upper first insulation panel 1 and a second insulation disposed on the lower side. A lower case 9 that is detachably engaged with the upper case 8 is disposed on the wiring surface side of the adjustment panel 2. Here, a fuse mounting portion 8 a and a relay mounting portion 8 b that are detachably engaged with the fuse 10 and the relay 11 are integrally formed on the upper surface of the upper case 8, and a connector 12 is formed on the bottom surface of the lower case 9. A connector mounting portion 9a that is detachably engaged is integrally formed.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the electrical junction box comprised in this way is demonstrated.

  First, after [A] the insulation panels 1 and 2 are arranged with a gap d, the flat wiring member 3 having the land 4 formed at a predetermined position is formed on the first and second insulation panels 1 and 2. Put on as if straddling. Here, the locking tool 6 installed in the insulation panel 1 (2) passes through the holes 3 c at the four corners of the flat wiring member 3. Next, [B] as shown in FIG. 6, the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 14 are brought into contact with each other on the conductive material connecting portion 5 b of the tab terminal 5 through a predetermined gap, and energized after pressurization. Resistance welding. Subsequently, [C] the back surfaces of the insulation panel 1 (2) that are not wired are overlapped with each other via the insulating material 8, and [D] Finally, the connection terminal portion 5a of the tab terminal 5 is engaged with the external electrical component. The upper and lower cases 8 and 9 are accommodated so as to correspond to the portions 8a and 8b (9a).

  In addition, as a method for connecting the conductive material 3a of the flat wiring material 3 of [B] and the tab terminal 5 during the manufacturing process, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, laser welding, soldering, ultrasonic welding, and resistance welding are used. Either method can be used.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing still another method of manufacturing the electrical junction box according to the present invention.

  The laser irradiation port 15 is disposed on the second surface 5b and laser welding is performed. Similarly, instead of the laser irradiation port 15, an electrode can be arranged and micro arc welding can be performed.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another method for manufacturing the electrical junction box according to the present invention.

  The solder 16 is brought close to the second surface 5b and heated by the iron 17 to perform soldering.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing still another method of manufacturing the electrical junction box according to the present invention.

  A hole 18b (19b) penetrating from the wiring surface 1S (2S) to the back surface is formed in the insulation panel 18 (19) at a position where the tab terminal 5 is installed. The flat wiring member 3 is formed with lands 4a from which the insulating material 3a is peeled off so that the periphery of the conductive material 3b penetrates at a predetermined position. The first electrode 13 is disposed on the wiring surface 18S (19S) side of the hole 18b (19b), and the second electrode 14 is disposed on the back surface side to perform resistance welding.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing still another method of manufacturing the electrical junction box according to the present invention.

  A hole 18b (19b) penetrating from the wiring surface 1S (2S) to the back surface is formed in the insulation panel 18 (19) at a position where the tab terminal 5 is installed. The flat wiring member 3 is formed with lands 4a from which the insulating material 3a is peeled off so that the periphery of the conductive material 3b penetrates at a predetermined position. The anvil 18 is disposed on the back side of the hole 18b (19b), and the horn 19 is disposed on the wiring surface 1S (2S) side to perform ultrasonic welding.

  As described above, the tab terminal can be connected to the flat wiring member by using various connection methods.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the shape of a tab terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  A difference from the tab terminal in the first embodiment is that a folded portion 22d protruding downward is formed between the first surface 22a and the second surface 22b. The folded portion 22d is integrally formed by bending a metal piece. In addition, when using the tab terminal 22 according to the second embodiment, in addition to the locking hole 23a (24a) corresponding to the hole 1a (2a) that engages with the tab terminal of the first embodiment, As shown in FIG. 12, an auxiliary hole 23c (24c) that faces the wiring surface 23S (24S) and engages with the folded portion 22d is further formed on the insulation panel 23 (24). Thus, the flat wiring material can be more stably fixed to the insulation panel by increasing the engagement holes. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the tab terminal 22 and the flat wiring member 3 can be connected using any one of laser welding, soldering, ultrasonic welding, and resistance welding.

It is a partial development view of the electrical junction box according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of a tab terminal concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is A-A 'sectional drawing of FIG. It is B-B 'sectional drawing of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the same electrical junction box. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of the tab terminal. It is a figure which shows another manufacturing method of the same tab terminal. It is a figure which shows another manufacturing method of the same tab terminal. It is a figure which shows another manufacturing method of the same tab terminal. It is a figure which shows another manufacturing method of the same tab terminal. It is a perspective view of the tab terminal which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing at the time of mounting of the tab terminal.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,18,23 ... 1st insulation panel, 2,19,24 ... 2nd insulation panel, 3 ... Flat wiring material, 4 ... Land, 5, 22 ... Tab terminal, 6 ... Locking tool, 7 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS: Contacting plate, 8 ... Upper case, 9 ... Lower case, 10 ... Fuse, 11 ... Relay, 12 ... Connector, 13 ... 1st electrode, 14 ... 2nd electrode, 15 ... Laser irradiation port, 16 ... Solder , 17 ... Iron, 20 ... Anvil, 21 ... Horn.

Claims (5)

A connection terminal portion made of a plate piece,
A conductor connection portion provided on the base end side of the connection terminal portion, extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the connection terminal portion extends, and joined to the conductor of the flat wiring member by surface contact;
Provided at the other end of the conductor connection portion that is not connected to the connection terminal portion, is orthogonal to the direction in which the conductor connection portion extends and extends to the opposite side of the connection terminal portion, and the connection terminal is accommodated in a terminal of the insulating substrate. A tab terminal formed by integrally forming a locking piece for fixing in a hole by bending a piece of metal. A connection terminal portion made of a plate piece,
A conductor connection portion provided on the base end side of the connection terminal portion, extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the connection terminal portion extends, and joined to the conductor of the flat wiring member by surface contact;
Provided at the other end of the conductor connection portion that is not connected to the connection terminal portion, is orthogonal to the direction in which the conductor connection portion extends and extends to the opposite side of the connection terminal portion, and connects the connection terminal to the first of the insulating substrate. A first locking portion for fixing to the terminal receiving hole,
Provided at an end portion of the conductor connection portion that is connected to the connection terminal portion, extends perpendicular to the direction in which the conductor connection portion extends and extends to the opposite side of the connection terminal portion, and the connection terminal is a second terminal of the insulating substrate. A second locking portion for fixing to the receiving hole;
A tab terminal that is formed by bending a single piece of metal.   The conductor exposed to the intermediate lead-out portion of the flat wiring member with the intermediate lead is brought into contact with the conductor connection portion of the tab terminal according to claim 1 or 2, and the connection between the connection portion and the flat wiring material conductor is connected. A flat wiring material connection structure of a tab terminal characterized by being designed.   4. The flat wiring material connection structure for a tab terminal according to claim 3, wherein the conductor connection portion and the conductor of the flat wiring material are connected by resistance welding, laser welding, soldering, or ultrasonic welding. .   An electrical junction box having the flat wiring member connection structure for tab terminals according to claim 4.

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