JP2007234243A - Connector for board and electric junction box equipped with this connector for board - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for a board and an electric junction box equipped with the same capable of suppressing increase of labor hour needed for assembly. <P>SOLUTION: The electric junction box 1 is provided with a connector for a board 3. The connector for the board 3 is provided with two connectors 7 and a coupling terminal 24. The connector 7 is provided with a printed wiring board 8, a terminal fitting 9 erected from the printed wiring board 8, and a connector housing 10 housing the terminal fitting 9. The coupling terminal 24 is provided with a terminal main body 25 and a connecting part 26. The terminal main body 25 is provided with a pair of housed parts 27 and a coupling part 28 coupling the housed parts 27. One of the housed parts 27 is housed in a connector housing 10 of one of the connectors 7, and the other 27 is housed in the housing 10 of the other connector 7. The junction part 26 is connected with a conductor pattern 12 of one of the connectors 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a board connector attached to a printed wiring board and an electrical connection box including the board connector.

  Conventionally, various electronic devices are mounted on automobiles as moving bodies. The wire harness that supplies a desired signal and power to the electronic device described above is required to electrically connect the electric wires. Conventionally, various electrical connection boxes (see, for example, Patent Document 1) have been used to electrically connect the electric wires described above.

  The conventional electrical junction box shown in Patent Document 1 and the like includes a junction box body and a board connector. The connection box main body is formed in a box shape. The board connector includes a plurality of connectors.

  Each connector includes a printed wiring board, terminal fittings standing from the printed wiring board, and a connector housing that houses the terminal fittings. Of course, the printed wiring board includes an insulating substrate and a conductor pattern formed on the surface of the substrate.

  The terminal fitting is made of a conductive metal, and is fixed by brazing using a conductor pattern of the printed wiring board and solder or the like while standing from the printed wiring board. The connector housing is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The connector housing is arranged so as to stand upright from the printed wiring board and accommodates the terminal fitting described above.

  The above-mentioned board connector connects the terminal fittings of a plurality of connectors by connecting the conductor patterns with lead wires.

The board connector described above is assembled in such a manner that the printed wiring board is accommodated in the junction box body and the connector housing is exposed outside the junction box body. In the board connector, an electrical component such as a fuse or a wire harness connector is attached to the connector housing. Thus, the board connector electrically connects the above-described electrical components and the wires of the wire harness to each other according to a predetermined pattern.
JP-A-9-19030

  The board connector having the configuration described above requires time and labor to connect the connectors because the lead wires need to be brazed to the conductor pattern using solder or the like when connecting the terminal fittings of a plurality of connectors. There was a tendency to increase.

  Therefore, the objective of this invention is providing the electrical connector box provided with the connector for boards which can suppress the increase in the effort concerning an assembly, and this connector for boards.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a board connector according to claim 1 includes a printed wiring board, a terminal metal fitting standing from the printed wiring board, and a connector housing that accommodates the terminal metal fitting. A plurality of connectors are provided, a part of which is accommodated in a connector housing of a plurality of connectors different from each other, and a connecting terminal that connects these connectors to each other.

  The board connector according to claim 2 is the board connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal includes a connection portion connected to a printed wiring board of one of the plurality of connectors. It is characterized by.

  The electrical junction box according to claim 3 is a connector for a board according to claim 1 or claim 2, and a junction box main body that accommodates the printed wiring board so as to expose the connector housing of the connector for a board. It is characterized by having.

  According to the board connector of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, the connector terminal is provided in the connector housing of the plurality of connectors to connect the connectors. For this reason, the connectors can be connected to each other simply by inserting the connecting terminal into the connector housing. Thereby, the connectors can be connected without brazing both ends of the lead wire to the conductor pattern of the printed wiring board.

  According to the connector for a board of the present invention as set forth in claim 2, since the connecting terminal has a connecting portion for connecting to the conductor pattern of one printed wiring board, the conductor pattern of the one printed wiring board and the plurality of conductor patterns A connector can be connected.

  According to the electrical connection box of the present invention as set forth in claim 3, the board connector is accommodated in the connector housing of the plurality of connectors and includes the connecting terminals for connecting these connectors. For this reason, the connectors can be connected to each other simply by inserting the connecting terminal into the connector housing. Thereby, the connectors can be connected without brazing both ends of the lead wire to the conductor pattern of the printed wiring board.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the connectors can be connected to each other only by inserting the connecting terminal into the connector housing without brazing both ends of the lead wire to the conductor pattern of the printed wiring board. Time and effort required for connection can be reduced. Therefore, an increase in labor for assembling the board connector can be suppressed.

  Moreover, the connection state of connectors can be variously changed by cut | disconnecting a connection terminal or changing the shape of a connection terminal variously. For this reason, it is possible to easily change the circuit of the board connector, and it is possible to easily cope with the change of specifications.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the conductor pattern of one printed wiring board and a plurality of connectors can be connected, more various circuit changes can be made.

  Since the present invention according to claim 3 includes the board connector according to claim 1 or 2, the increase in labor for assembling the board connector can be suppressed, and an electric connection box An increase in labor for assembling itself can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, an electrical junction box and a board connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The electrical junction box 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted on an automobile or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical junction box 1 includes a junction box body 2 and a board connector 3.

  The junction box body 2 includes an upper case 4 and a lower case 5. The upper case 4 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a flat plate shape. The upper case 4 is provided with a housing through hole 6 through which a connector housing 10 described later of the board connector 3 is passed. Of course, the housing through hole 6 penetrates the upper case 4.

  The lower case 5 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and has a flat plate shape. The upper case 4 and the lower case 5 are fixed to each other so as to overlap each other. When the upper case 4 and the lower case 5 are fixed to each other, the upper case 4 and the lower case 5 are formed in a flat box shape and accommodate a printed wiring board 8 to be described later of the board connector 3.

  The connection box body 2 passes the connector housing 10 through the housing through hole 6, exposes the connector housing 10 to the cases 4 and 5, that is, outside the connection box body 2, and accommodates the printed wiring board 8 between the cases 4 and 5. To do.

  The board connector 3 includes a plurality of connectors 7 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the illustrated example, only two connectors 7 are shown. Each connector 7 includes a printed wiring board 8, a terminal fitting 9 erected from the printed wiring board 8, and a connector housing 10 that houses the terminal fitting 9.

  The printed wiring board 8 includes a substrate 11 made of an insulating synthetic resin, and a conductor pattern (only part of which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) 12 formed on the surface of the substrate 11.

  The substrate 11 is formed in a flat plate shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 11 is provided with a through hole 13. The conductor pattern 12 is made of a conductive metal such as copper, is formed in a thin foil shape, and is attached to the surface of the substrate 11. The conductor pattern 12 is formed in a predetermined shape.

  The terminal fitting 9 is made of metal, and is formed in a rod shape in the illustrated example. The terminal fitting 9 is passed through the through hole 13 to penetrate the printed wiring board 8 and is fixed to the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8 by brazing using solder 14 or the like. That is, the terminal fitting 9 is electrically connected to the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8.

  The connector housing 10 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a cylindrical shape. The connector housing 10 includes a bottom wall 15 and a peripheral wall 16 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall 15.

  The bottom wall 15 is formed in a flat plate shape. A through hole 17 for passing the terminal fitting 9 and a receiving portion 27 of the connecting terminal 24 described later passes through the bottom wall 15. The bottom wall 15 is arranged in parallel with the printed wiring board 8 with a space from the printed wiring board 8. The peripheral wall 16 is erected toward both the direction approaching the printed wiring board 8 from the outer edge of the bottom wall 15 and the direction away from the printed wiring board 8, and the outer edge overlaps the printed wiring board 8. .

  The connector housing 10 accommodates the terminal fitting 9 through the terminal fitting 9 in the through hole 17. Also, the connector housing 10 is fitted with a fuse 18 as an electrical component and a connector 20 of a wire harness 19 routed in the automobile described above.

  The connector housing 10 of one connector 7 accommodates the relay terminal 21 that connects the fuse 18 and the terminal fitting 9, and the above-described fuse 18 is fitted therein. When the fuse 18 is fitted into the connector housing 10 of the one connector 7, the terminal fitting 9 in the connector housing 10 of the one connector 7 is connected to the fuse 18 via the relay terminal 21.

  The connector 20 of the wire harness 19 described above is fitted into the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7. When the connector 20 is fitted into the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7, the terminal fitting 9 in the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7 is connected to the electric wire 22 of the wire harness 19 via the terminal fitting (not shown) of the connector 20. Connect with.

  Of course, the wire harness 19 includes a plurality of electric wires 22 and a connector 20 attached to an end of the electric wires 22. The connector 20 is, of course, provided with a terminal fitting attached to the end of the electric wire 22 and electrically connected to the core wire of the electric wire 22, and a connector housing 23 accommodating the terminal fitting. Of course, the connector 20 is fitted into the connector housing 10 of the board connector 3 of the electrical connection box 1 and various electronic devices mounted on the automobile described above.

  The board connector 3 described above further includes a connection terminal 24. The connection terminal 24 is made of metal, and is formed in a rod shape in the illustrated example. The connection terminal 24 includes a terminal body 25 and a connection portion 26. The terminal body 25 includes a pair of accommodated portions 27 parallel to each other and a connecting portion 28 that connects one end portions of the pair of accommodated portions 27 and is formed in a U shape.

  One accommodated portion 27 (corresponding to a part of the claims) is passed through the through hole 17 of the connector housing 10 of the one connector 7 and is accommodated in the connector housing 10 of the one connector 7. ing. Of course, one of the accommodated portions 27 is connected to the above-described fuse 18 via the relay terminal 21. The other accommodated portion 27 (corresponding to a part of the claims) is passed through the through hole 17 of the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7 and is accommodated in the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7. ing. Of course, the other accommodated portion 27 is connected to the electric wire 22 of the wire harness 19 via the terminal fitting of the connector 20 of the wire harness 19.

  The connecting portion 26 extends from the connecting portion 28, that is, the central portion of the connecting terminal 24, toward the printed wiring board 8 of one (one) of the two connectors 7. The connecting portion 26 is passed through the through hole 13 of the printed wiring board 8 of one (one) connector 7 and fixed (connected) to the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8 by brazing using the solder 14. Has been.

  Thus, in the illustrated example, the connecting terminal 24 has one accommodated portion 27 accommodated in the connector housing 10 of the one connector 7 and the other accommodated portion 27 in the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7. The two connectors 7 are connected to each other.

  In the board connector 3 described above, after the terminal fitting 9 and the receiving portion 27 of the connecting terminal 24 are passed through the through holes 17 of each connector housing 10, the terminal fitting 9 and the connecting portion 26 are passed through the through holes 13. Then, each connector housing 10 is attached to the printed wiring board 8 with the bottom wall 15 parallel to the printed wiring board 8 and spaced from the printed wiring board 8. The board connector 3 is assembled by fixing the connection portions 26 of the terminal fitting 9 and the connecting terminal 24 to the conductor pattern 12 by brazing using the solder 14.

  The board connector 3 is accommodated in the junction box main body 2 described above to constitute the electrical junction box 1. Thereafter, after the relay terminal 21 is accommodated in the connector housing 10 of one connector 7, the fuse 18 is fitted, and the connector 20 of the wire harness 19 is fitted to the connector housing 10 of the other connector 7. Mounted on. In this way, the board connector 3 constitutes the electrical connection box 1 and electrically connects the electric wires 22 of the wire harness 19 and the electrical components such as the fuse 18 described above according to a predetermined pattern.

  In the embodiment described above, the connecting terminal 24 connects the two connectors 7 together. However, in the present invention, the connecting terminal 24 may include three or more accommodated portions 27 and connect three or more connectors 7 to each other. In short, in the present invention, a plurality of types of connection terminals 24 having different shapes, that is, the number of the accommodated portions 27, are provided, and the necessary connection terminals 24 may be selected and used from these types of connection terminals 24. In other words, in the present invention, the connecting terminals 24 for connecting the plurality of connectors 7 may be provided in advance.

  Further, in the present invention, the connecting portion 28, that is, the central portion of the connecting terminal 24 is cut at a portion indicated by a one-dot chain line P in FIG. 2, and the board connector 3 is connected to the connector 7 shown in FIG. 4 and the connector 7 shown in FIG. It may be separated into In this case, for example, at least one of the plurality of connectors 7 connected to each other by the connecting terminal 24 corresponds to an electronic device that realizes a function required for the basic driving of the automobile described above, and the like. It is desirable to correspond to an electronic device or the like that is appropriately changed depending on the grade and specifications of the automobile. As described above, in the present invention, it is desirable to variously change the connection state between the connectors 7 by variously changing the shape of the connecting terminal 24 or cutting the connecting terminal 24.

  According to this embodiment, the connecting terminal 24 which is accommodated in the connector housing 10 of the plurality of connectors 7 and connects these connectors 7 is provided. For this reason, the connectors 7 can be connected to each other simply by inserting the connecting terminal 24 into the connector housing 10. Thereby, the connectors 7 can be connected to each other without brazing both ends of the lead wires to the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8.

  For this reason, the effort concerning connecting the connectors 7 can be suppressed. Therefore, an increase in labor for assembling the board connector 3 can be suppressed.

  Moreover, the connection state of the connectors 7 can be variously changed by cutting the connection terminal 24 or changing the shape of the connection terminal 24 in various ways. For this reason, the circuit of the board connector 3 can be easily changed, and the specification can be easily changed.

  Since the connecting terminal 24 includes a connection portion 26 that connects to the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8 of one connector 7, the conductor pattern 12 of the printed wiring board 8 of the one connector 7 and the plurality of connectors 7 are connected to each other. Can connect. Therefore, more various circuit changes can be made.

  Since the electrical connection box 1 described above includes the board connector 3, an increase in labor for assembling the board connector 3 can be suppressed, and an increase in labor for assembling the electrical connection box 1 itself can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the terminal fitting 9 and the connecting terminal 24 are formed in a rod shape. However, in the present invention, the terminal fitting 9 and the connecting terminal 24 are not limited to a rod shape and may be formed in various shapes. In the embodiment described above, the electrical junction box 1 and the board connector 3 include two connectors 7. However, in the present invention, the electrical junction box 1 and the board connector 3 may include three or more connectors 7.

  In the present invention, not only the fuse 18 but also various electrical components such as a relay and a fusible link may be fitted into the connector housing 10 of the connector 7. In the present invention, the connecting portion 26 may not be provided.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing of the principal part of the electrical junction box which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the connector for boards | substrates of the electrical-connection box shown by FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the board connector shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one connector of the board connector shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the other connector of the board connector shown in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical junction box 2 Junction box main body 3 Board connector 7 Connector 8 Printed wiring board 9 Terminal metal fitting 10 Connector housing 24 Connection terminal 26 Connection part 27 Contained part (part)

Claims (3)

A plurality of connectors comprising a printed wiring board, terminal fittings erected from the printed wiring board, and connector housings that accommodate the terminal fittings,
A board connector, further comprising a connecting terminal that is partly accommodated in connector housings of a plurality of different connectors and connects the connectors together.   2. The board connector according to claim 1, wherein the connection terminal includes a connection portion connected to a printed wiring board of one of the plurality of connectors. The board connector according to claim 1 or 2,
An electrical junction box comprising: a junction box main body that accommodates the printed wiring board in an exposed state of the connector housing of the board connector.

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