JP2009064742A - Electronic unit and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic unit capable of solving problems of external plugging/unplugging forces and its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic unit 10 comprises a connector 20 as a primary member and a casing 30 as a secondary member for accommodating an electronic part to be electrically connected to the outside by means of the terminals of the connector wherein the connector and the casing are molded in a body with resin by multiple molding. The casing has an opening for a connector on its side wall. The connector is formed L-shaped. Terminals are inserted into one wall of the casing to block the opening and internally touch the casing. The other wall 26 extends in contact with the bottom face 31 in the casing according to the shape of the bottom face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic unit and a method for manufacturing the same, and in particular, a case for housing an electronic component and a connector for electrical connection to the outside of the case are integrally formed by multiple molding using a resin. The present invention relates to a molded electronic unit and a method for manufacturing the same.

  One aspect of the electronic unit is disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a control unit for electric power steering. According to the patent document, the resin case and the connector are integrally formed by injection molding using a mold, and in detail, as shown in FIG. 1 of the patent document, Cylindrical mounting portions 61, 62, and 63 for connector insertion / extraction guidance are integrally formed so as to protrude from the side wall of the resin case 60.

  The cylindrical mounting portions 61, 62, and 63 are so-called insertion / extraction guide exterior members of the connector, and terminals 64a, 65a, and 66a for the connector are inserted in the side wall of the resin case located at the back of the cylinder. Has been.

  A base substrate 30 is accommodated inside the resin case 60. The base substrate 30 is formed with a circuit formed by combining electronic components, and the circuit is electrically connected to the outside through terminals 64a, 65a and 66a.

  By the way, in the electronic unit in which the case and the connector are integrally formed, even when it is desired to change the dimensions of only the case, a mold for manufacturing the electronic unit to be integrally formed is newly manufactured. It was necessary and the waste was a problem.

  Therefore, it has been considered to manufacture the case and the connector separately and combine them. In this way, for example, when a design change occurs in a case, only the case needs to be changed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which a connector 30 is attached to a metal case 20 as an electronic component housing. A groove is provided in the rectangular tube-shaped protrusion 22 protruding from the case 20, and the connector 30 is injection-molded so as to be engaged according to the groove shape.

By the way, a technique called multiple molding is known as a technique using injection molding.
In this multiple molding, a primary member is formed by molding a resin into a desired shape, and then the resin is supplied so as to engage with the primary member to create a secondary member having a desired shape. Thereby, a primary member and a secondary member are shape | molded integrally.

It is also conceivable to apply this multiplex formation technique to Patent Document 2, for example. In this case, the case 20 is changed from metal to resin.
JP 2001-196770 A JP2003-151676

  By the way, in the structure as disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2, there is no problem when the connector engaged with the case is horizontally inserted / extracted. On the other hand, a problem occurs when an external force is applied obliquely from above. That is, the conventional structure does not consider the case where an external force is applied from an oblique direction, and the problem is that the primary member and the secondary member are easily disengaged, and an improvement is desired. It was.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic unit that can improve the problem with respect to external force during insertion and removal, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  The present invention was devised to achieve the above object, and as a secondary member that accommodates a connector as a primary member and an electronic component that is electrically connected to the outside via a terminal of the connector. In the electronic unit in which the case is integrally formed by multiple molding using resin, the case has an opening for the connector on the side wall, and the connector is formed in an L shape, A terminal is inserted in the wall portion of the case and inscribed so as to close the opening and is fitted to the case, and the other wall portion is in contact with the bottom surface in the case and extends according to the shape of the bottom surface. To do.

The terminal is inserted into one wall by press-fitting or insert.
The connector has a protrusion on the outer peripheral side wall of one wall portion, and the protrusion is fitted to the case.
The protrusion is characterized in that it is chamfered so as to make the thickness of the case uniform at the fitting site.

The connector has a stepped cutout at the extended end of one wall portion, and resin for a case that flows into the cutout is engaged with the cutout.
The connector has a protruding portion protruding from the bottom surface on the other wall portion, and the protruding portion is engaged so that a resin for the case surrounds.

  A connector as a primary member and a case as a secondary member that accommodates an electronic component that is electrically connected to the outside via a terminal of the connector are integrally formed by multiple molding using resin. In the method of manufacturing an electronic unit, an L-shaped connector is formed which includes one side wall into which a terminal is inserted and the other side wall in contact with the bottom surface in the case and extending according to the shape of the bottom surface. And a step of forming a case that has an opening in the side wall that is closed by one inscribed wall after forming the connector, and that forms a case to be fitted to the connector.

  According to the present invention, the connector is formed in an L-shape, and is inscribed so as to close the opening by one wall portion thereof and fitted to the case, and the other wall portion is in contact with the bottom surface in the case and Because it extends according to the shape, it fits to the case with one wall part of the connector against external force in the direction perpendicular to the side wall of the case, and the other wall of the connector against external force from diagonally above The sliding due to the external force can be suppressed by the extension by the bottom surface contact in the case by the portion. Thereby, according to this invention, the sliding at the time of insertion / extraction can be suppressed, and the problem by the external force added at the time of insertion / extraction can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings used in the embodiments, and overlapping descriptions are possible. Omitted as much as possible.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic unit 10 of the present invention includes a connector 20 as a primary member and electronic components (not shown in FIG. 1) that are electrically connected to the outside through the terminals of the connector 20. And a case 30 as a secondary member to be accommodated, and these are integrally formed by multiple molding using resin.

  By the way, a general connector conventionally known is configured by a combination of an inner housing and an outer housing. In the present invention, the outer housing is integrally formed with the case 30.

  By integrally forming the outer housing and the case in this manner, when an external force is applied to the outer housing, the stress can be distributed to the case. Accordingly, the outer housing and the case are individually manufactured, and the influence of external force can be reduced as compared with the structure in which these are combined.

  By the way, in this specification, the structure in which the outer housing is integrally formed with the case is referred to as the case 30, and the inner housing and various structures related thereto are referred to as the connector 20, and the following description will be given.

  The case 30 of the present invention has an opening upward, and an electronic component is accommodated in the case 30 through the opening.

  Each electronic component housed in the case 30 is mounted on the front and back surfaces of the substrate 50 to form a circuit, and the large electronic component 42 mounted on the substrate 50 faces the bottom surface 31 of the case. (See FIG. 3).

  The bottom surface 31 of the case 30 is formed according to the shape of the electronic component to be accommodated, and a plurality of steps are provided according to the height dimension of the electronic component mounted on the substrate 50.

  Further, the bottom surface 31 of the case 30 is formed according to the shape of an L-shaped connector 20 described later, and the bottom surface 31 of the case 30 and the connector 20 are closely attached.

  One side wall of the case 30 is provided with an opening for the connector 20 as shown in FIG. 1, and an outer housing 32 extending outward from the side wall is provided so as to surround the opening. Pedestals 34 and 41 are provided on the inner wall side of the side wall where the outer housing 32 is provided and on the inner wall side opposite thereto, and the surface height of each pedestal is unified.

  The substrate 50 accommodated in the case 30 is disposed on the pedestals 34 and 41. As a result, the substrate 50 is held horizontally at a predetermined height in the case 30.

  On the pedestal 34, there is provided a guide 35 for guiding and clamping the substrate 50 on the pedestal 34. The edge of the guide 35 is easily inserted into the substrate 50 disposed between the pedestal 34 and the guide 35. It is chamfered to make it easier.

  Further, a plurality of other guides 36 are appropriately provided on the inner wall of the case 30, and the guides 50 can easily guide the substrate 50 accommodated in the case 30 to a predetermined position.

  In addition, each structure in the above-mentioned case 30 is integrally formed by resin formation using a metal mold | die.

Next, the connector 20 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector 20 basically has an L-shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the L-shaped one wall portion 21 is disposed so as to close the opening provided on the side wall of the case 30, and the other wall portion 26 is formed on the bottom surface 31 (bottom surface) of the case 30. And is arranged so as to be in close contact with the bottom surface 31 of the case 30.

  In this manner, one wall portion 21 of the L-shaped connector 20 is disposed so as to close the opening of the case 30, and the other wall portion 26 is disposed so as to be in close contact with the bottom surface 31 of the case 30. Thus, even if an external force is applied to the connector 20 obliquely from above so that the opening of the case 30 serves as an axis, the external force can be distributed to the bottom surface 31 of the case 30 by the close contact of the other wall portion 26, and thus the external force Can be prevented from sliding.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the connector 20 has an L-shaped inner corner reinforced in a truss shape, thereby stabilizing the L-shape.

  A plurality of terminals 22 are inserted into one wall portion 21 of the connector 20 by press fitting, and are aligned at a predetermined interval. The terminal 22 is formed using a conventionally known conductive member, and has a strength that can withstand insertion / removal with respect to the connector 20.

  The terminal 22 is formed in an L shape, and is inserted so that one end 221 thereof is press-fitted into one wall portion 21 and the other end 222 faces a direction (upward) facing the other wall portion 26. .

  The other end 222 of the terminal 22 is inserted into a hole provided in the board and soldered to the board 50 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). At this time, solder connection is performed on the back side of the substrate 50. That is, various electronic components are mounted on the surface of the substrate 50, the other end 222 of the terminal 22 is fitted from the surface side of the substrate 50, and the terminal end 222 protruding on the back surface side is soldered.

  One wall portion 21 into which the terminal 22 is press-fitted is provided with a columnar seal portion 25 so as to protrude from the one wall portion 21, and the terminal 22 is press-fitted into the seal portion 25.

  The periphery of the terminal 22 is surrounded by a seal portion 25. Thereby, the infiltration of water transmitted through the terminal 22 can be prevented by the seal portion 25, and a so-called waterproof function is ensured.

  In one wall portion 21 of the connector 20, a protrusion 23 is provided on the outer peripheral side wall (see FIGS. 3C, 4 and 5). The protrusion 23 is fitted with a resin for forming the case 30.

  That is, the one wall portion 21 of the connector 20 is disposed so as to close the opening of the side wall of the case 30, and the outer periphery of the one wall portion 21 is engaged with the side wall in the opening of the case 30. The protrusion provided on the outer periphery of 21 is covered with the wall thickness of the side wall of the case 30 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the connector 20 and the case 30 can be firmly engaged.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the protrusion 23 is chamfered at a fitting portion 24 with the case 30 at the protruding end. By chamfering, the thickness of the case 30 can be increased to a desired thickness or more at the fitting portion 24. That is, when the resin for forming the case 30 is supplied from the outer housing side, inhibition of resin supply can be reduced.

  The other wall portion 26 of the connector 20 has a stepped notch 27 at its extended end (see FIG. 5). When the case 30 is formed, the resin for the case 30 flows into the notch 27. Thereby, the notch 27 and the case 30 can be firmly engaged by the engagement with the inflowing resin (see FIG. 2).

  Further, the other wall portion 26 of the connector 20 is provided with a plurality of columnar protrusions 28 arranged at predetermined intervals on the bottom surface thereof as shown in FIG. By providing the protruding portion 28, the resin supplied when forming the case 30 surrounds the periphery of the protruding portion 28, and then the case 30 bottom and the connector (the other side wall 21) are firmly engaged by hardening of the resin. Is done.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the other wall portion 26 of the connector 20 is provided with an engaging portion 29 called a snap fit. The engaging portion 29 is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the other wall portion 26, and its tip is formed in a hook shape so as to be engageable with the substrate 50. Further, the engaging portion 29 utilizes elasticity, and can be deformed according to an external force by the substrate 50 accommodated in the case 30. After the substrate 50 is disposed at a predetermined position, the substrate 50 Is hooked by a hook-shaped tip (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  In addition, each structure (except the terminal 22) of the above-mentioned connector 20 is integrally formed by resin formation using a metal mold | die.

  Here, the manufacturing method of the electronic unit 10 of the present invention in which the connector 20 and the case 30 are integrally formed by multiple molding using resin will be described.

  First, the connector 20 as a primary member is formed by mold formation using resin as a raw material. The resin used for forming the connector 20 is a conventionally known PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), and in particular, the PBT has waterproofness, strength and dimensional accuracy that can withstand connector insertion and removal. The thing of the characteristic which can do is preferable.

  Thereafter, a plurality of terminals 22 are inserted and inserted into one wall portion 21 formed using a mold. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector 20 is formed as a primary member in the multiple formation.

  Next, the connector 20 formed at a predetermined position of the mold is disposed. This mold is for forming the case 30 as a mold. In the connector 20 disposed in the mold, one L-shaped wall portion 21 is fitted into the opening of the side wall of the case 30 to be formed, and the other wall portion 26 is to be engaged with the bottom surface 31 in the case. The arrangement position is adjusted. In this state, a resin called PBT is supplied to the mold to form a case 30 as a secondary member in the multiple formation.

  Thereby, the connector 20 is fitted to the case 30 by multiple formation. In other words, the connector 20 is inscribed so that one wall portion 21 closes the opening of the side wall of the case 30 and is fitted to the case 30, and the other wall portion 26 extends according to the shape of the bottom surface 31 of the case 30 and closely contacts. (See FIGS. 1 and 2).

  The resin used for forming the case 30 preferably has waterproof properties, deformation due to external force, resistance to oils and the like, and the like.

  When the connector 20 is fitted into the case 30, a board on which various electronic components are mounted is accommodated in the case 30 as shown in FIG. 3, and the board and the terminal 22 of the connector 20 are soldered.

  Thereafter, the case 30 is filled with resin so as to embed the substrate accommodated in the case 30 (not shown). As described above, the electronic unit 10 of the present invention is formed.

  The electronic unit 10 of the present invention has an L-shaped connector 20 in which one wall portion 21 of the connector is fitted to the case 30 and the other wall portion 26 extends along the bottom surface 31 of the case 30. Adhere closely.

  Thereby, with respect to the external force in the vertical direction with respect to the side wall of the case 30, sliding by the external force can be suppressed by fitting with the case by the one wall portion 21. The sliding by external force can be suppressed by the extension by the bottom surface contact in the case by the other wall part 26 of 20, and the malfunction by the external force added at the time of insertion / extraction can be improved.

  Also, in the electronic unit 10 of the present invention, the resin for the case 30 is supplied so that the one wall portion 21 of the connector 20 covers the protrusion 23 provided on the outer peripheral side wall, and the case 30 and the case 30 are cured by the hardening of the resin. The connector 20 can be firmly engaged.

  Furthermore, the electronic unit 10 according to the present invention has a structure in which the resin flowing in when the case 30 is formed in the stepped notch 27 provided at the extending end of the other wall portion 26 of the connector 20 is cured. The case 30 can be firmly engaged.

  In addition, the resin for the case 30 surrounds the protrusion 28 provided on the other wall portion 26 of the connector 20, and the case 30 and the connector 20 can be firmly engaged with each other by curing the resin.

  With the above-described reinforcement of the engagement, the electronic unit 10 of the present invention can further improve the problems caused by the external force applied during insertion / extraction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the engaging portion (snap fit) 29 is provided on the connector 20 side has been described, but the engaging portion 29 may be provided on the case 30 side instead.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the terminal 22 of the connector 20 is press-fitted is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a mold for resin formation in a state where the terminals 22 are arranged in advance. The terminal 22 may be inserted by a so-called insert method in which the connector 20 is formed by removing the mold after the resin is placed and cured after the resin is supplied.

  In the embodiments, one embodiment of the invention has been described as an example, but the present invention should not be limited to this. It is understood that the shape change that can achieve the same effect as that of the present invention and that can be easily conceived by a party belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the electronic unit of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view, (c) is sectional drawing between AA shown in the top view, (d) is a top view Sectional drawing between BB shown in FIG. 2, (e) is a rear view (figure seen from the insertion / extraction side of a connector). It is a perspective view which shows the electronic unit of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the board | substrate was mounted | worn to the electronic unit of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is AA sectional drawing in (a), (c) is the part B shown in (b). FIG. It is a figure which shows the connector of this invention, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a side view, (c) is a top view. It is a perspective view which shows the connector of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electronic unit 20 Connector 21 One wall part of connector 22 Terminal 221 One end of terminal 222 Other end of terminal 23 Projection 24 Fit part 25 Seal part 26 Other wall part of connector 27 Notch 28 Projection part 29 Engagement part 30 Case 31 Bottom 32 Outer housing 34, 41 Base 35, 36 Guide 42 Large electronic component 50 Substrate

Claims (12)

A connector as a primary member and a case as a secondary member that accommodates an electronic component that is electrically connected to the outside via a terminal of the connector are integrally formed by multiple molding using resin. In the electronic unit,
The case has an opening in the side wall for the connector;
The connector is formed in an L shape, and the terminal is inserted into one wall portion of the connector so as to be inscribed so as to close the opening, and the other wall portion is fitted in the case. An electronic unit that is in contact with the bottom surface and extends according to the shape of the bottom surface.   The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is inserted into the one wall portion by press-fitting or insert.   The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the connector has a protrusion on an outer peripheral side wall of the one wall portion, and the protrusion is fitted to the case.   4. The electronic unit according to claim 3, wherein the protrusion is chamfered so as to make the thickness of the case uniform at the fitting site.   The connector has a stepped notch at an extended end of the one wall portion, and resin for the case flowing into the notch is engaged with the notch. Item 2. The electronic unit according to Item 1.   2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the connector has a projecting portion projecting from a bottom surface of the other wall portion, and the projecting portion is engaged with a resin for the case. unit. A connector as a primary member and a case as a secondary member that accommodates an electronic component that is electrically connected to the outside via a terminal of the connector are integrally formed by multiple molding using resin. In the manufacturing method of the electronic unit,
Forming the L-shaped connector comprising one side wall into which the terminal is inserted, and the other side wall extending in accordance with the shape of the bottom surface in contact with the bottom surface in the case;
A method of manufacturing an electronic unit, comprising: forming the case having an opening in the side wall that is closed by the one wall portion inscribed after forming the connector, and forming the case to be fitted to the connector. .   The method of manufacturing an electronic unit according to claim 7, wherein the terminal is inserted by press-fitting or insert.   The method of manufacturing an electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein the connector has a protrusion on an outer peripheral side wall of the one wall portion, and the protrusion is fitted to the case.   The method of manufacturing an electronic unit according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion is chamfered so as to make the thickness of the case uniform at a fitting portion.   The connector has a stepped notch at an extended end of the one wall portion, and resin for the case flowing into the notch is engaged with the notch. Item 8. A method for manufacturing an electronic unit according to Item 7.   8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the connector has a projecting portion projecting from the bottom surface of the other wall portion, and the projecting portion is engaged with a resin for the case. Unit manufacturing method.