JP2011003618A - Relay terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a relay terminal capable of accurately and firmly fixing and mounting a connection terminal to a printed board or the like with simple facility and work without needing a special positioning tool or the like while preventing damage of the printed board or the like.SOLUTION: In this relay terminal 10 where an annular flange part 20 locked to a one-side opening edge part 42 of a through-hole 14 and a pair of elastic connection pieces 22 extending into the through-hole 14 from the flange part 20 are formed of an elastic conductive material, an abutting part 36 abutting on a connection terminal 18, connection parts 30, 32 pressed against the inner peripheral surface 56 of the through-hole 14 by inserting the connection terminal 18, and a come-off prevention lock part 38 locked to the other opening edge part 44 of the through-hole 14 are formed on each of the pair of elastic connection pieces 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay terminal used for electrical connection between a circuit conductor and a connection terminal.

  Conventionally, connection terminals for connecting external electric circuits are provided on circuit conductors such as printed wiring. In general, the connection terminal is fixed to the printed circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit conductor of the printed circuit board by being inserted into a through hole formed in the printed circuit board and soldered.

  By the way, it is important that the connecting terminal is set with high accuracy in the protruding direction and position with respect to the printed circuit board so as not to hinder the attachment / detachment of the connector for connection with the external circuit. Therefore, conventionally, when soldering the connection terminals, the connection terminals are positioned with high accuracy on the printed board using a jig.

  However, conventional soldering of connection terminals using such a jig has a problem that the manufacturing equipment is complicated and the work process is complicated, and the manufacturing cost is inevitably increased due to the preparation of the jig. . There has been a demand for a new structure capable of accurately positioning and fixing the connection terminal to the circuit conductor of the printed circuit board with simpler equipment and work processes.

  In response to such a request, for example, as described in JP-A-9-306610 (Patent Document 1), a synthetic resin collar fixed to a connection terminal is placed on a printed circuit board for connection. A structure used for positioning the terminal and a structure in which the connection terminal is press-fitted and fixed in the through hole of the printed board are also conceivable. However, since the former collar is simply mounted on the printed circuit board, it has poor stability, and the connection terminals are twisted and misaligned due to the difference in thermal expansion between the printed circuit board and the collar during soldering. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve sufficient accuracy. In addition, solder cracks may occur due to a difference in thermal expansion. In the latter press-fitting structure, there is a risk of damage or deformation inside the through-hole when the connection terminal is press-fitted into the through-hole of the printed circuit board. As a result, there is a risk of causing a measling phenomenon in which the glass fiber and the resin are peeled off due to thermal stress.

JP-A-9-306610

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its solution is to avoid damage to the printed circuit board and the like, and to simplify the installation without requiring a special positioning jig or the like. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a relay terminal capable of firmly and securely attaching a connection terminal to a printed circuit board or the like with high accuracy.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a relay terminal that is attached to a through hole in a circuit conductor and is used to attach a connection terminal to the circuit conductor, and is latched to a peripheral edge of one opening of the through hole. A pair of ring-shaped flanges that are positioned on the peripheral edge of the one opening, and a pair of protrusions that extend from the inner peripheral edge of the flange into the through-hole and project toward the other opening of the through-hole. An elastic connection piece is formed of an elastic conductive material, and the pair of elastic connection pieces includes a contact portion that contacts a connection terminal inserted between opposing surfaces of the pair of elastic connection pieces, and the connection When the terminal is inserted, it is elastically deformed in the direction of separation from each other, and is expanded at the connection portion pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the circuit conductor, and the protruding portion of the through hole toward the other opening side. The other opening edge And retaining locking portion to be engaged in are being formed, characterized.

  The relay terminal according to the present invention is inserted into the through hole from the protruding end side of the pair of elastic connection pieces, and is attached to the printed circuit board or the like with the collar portion locked from above to the opening peripheral edge of the through hole. Then, when the connection terminal is inserted from the annular flange, the pair of elastic connection pieces are elastically deformed so as to spread outward, and the contact portions of the respective elastic connection pieces come into contact with the connection terminals and are connected. The portion is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. As a result, the connection terminal inserted inside is supported by the relay terminal, protruded from the printed circuit board via the relay terminal, and electrically connected to a circuit conductor such as a printed wiring conducted to the through hole. Is done. Further, the retaining locking portion is locked to the peripheral edge of the other opening of the through hole, thereby preventing the relay terminal from coming off from the through hole.

  By using such a relay terminal, according to the present invention, the connection terminal is fixed to the printed circuit board and the like with high precision and strength and electrically connected to the circuit conductor without using the conventionally used solder. I can do it. As a result, complicated soldering processes and jigs used at that time can be eliminated, and the work of attaching the connection terminals to the circuit conductor can be simplified and reduced in cost. Also, by eliminating the solder, problems such as solder cracks caused by the difference in thermal expansion are solved, and a high degree of connection reliability due to contact of the relay terminals with the elastic connection pieces is ensured.

  In addition, when the connection terminal is inserted into the through hole, the inner peripheral surface of the through hole is covered in advance by the elastic connection piece of the relay terminal. Can be prevented. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate problems such as the mesling which are particularly problematic in the multilayer substrate. In addition, the collar part of a relay terminal should just be a cyclic | annular thing extended continuously in the circumferential direction, and all include a cyclic | annular thing, a rectangular cyclic | annular thing, etc.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the first aspect, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of elastic connection pieces is maximized at the proximal end portion and minimized at the distal end portion. The portion of the through hole that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the other opening is tapered. According to this aspect, when the relay terminal is inserted into the through hole, the relay terminal can be prevented from being caught on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, and damage to the inner peripheral surface can be avoided, and the relay terminal can be smoothly inserted into the through hole. Can be inserted.

  A third aspect of the present invention is a relay terminal unit in which a plurality of relay terminals described in the first or second aspect are arranged and connected by a resin base.

  According to this aspect, for example, by arranging an arbitrary number of relay terminals according to the pitch of the connectors and integrating them with a resin base, the relay terminals can be simultaneously inserted into each of a large number of through holes. The relay terminal assembly work can be simplified. Furthermore, the plurality of relay terminals can be reliably insulated by a resin base.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is a printed circuit board in which the relay terminal described in the first or second aspect is mounted, and a connection terminal is mounted on the relay terminal.

  According to such a printed circuit board, a plurality of connection terminals are fixed without using solder, so that a soldering process is not required, and it can be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, since the connection terminal is accurately positioned by the relay terminal, the connection stability with the mating connector or the like is also improved.

  If the relay terminal according to the present invention is used, the connection terminal can be accurately and firmly fixed to a printed circuit board or the like without using solder. Thereby, a soldering process can be made unnecessary and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, by covering the inner peripheral surface of the through hole with the relay terminal, the risk of damage to the through hole due to the insertion of the connection terminal can be reduced.

The perspective view of the printed circuit board with which the relay terminal as one Embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn. Sectional drawing equivalent to the II-II cross section in FIG. Sectional drawing of the relay terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of the relay terminal illustrated in FIG. 3. The perspective view of a connection terminal. Sectional drawing which shows the insertion state of the connection terminal to the relay terminal shown in FIG. VII-VII sectional drawing in FIG. The perspective view of a relay terminal unit. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 6 for demonstrating the different aspect of a connecting terminal.

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

  First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a printed circuit board 12 on which a relay terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. A printed wiring (not shown) as a circuit conductor is formed on the printed circuit board 12 and a through hole 14 connected to the printed wiring is provided therethrough. The relay terminals 10 are attached to the through holes 14 individually or as a relay terminal unit 16 in which a plurality of relay terminals 10 are unitized. Then, the connection terminals 18 are inserted into the relay terminals 10 so that the connection terminals 18 protrude from the printed circuit board 12 via the relay terminals 10.

  3 and 4 show the relay terminal 10 in a state of being inserted into the through hole 14. FIG. 4 shows the relay terminal 10 with the connection terminal 18 inserted. The relay terminal 10 is an integrally molded product made of an elastic conductive material such as a copper alloy. The relay terminal 10 has an annular flange 20 and a pair of elastic connection pieces 22 protruding from the flange 20.

  The flange portion 20 has a ring shape in which the insertion port 24 is formed in the center in a penetrating state. The inner peripheral surface 26 and the outer peripheral surface 28 of the flange portion 20 are tapered so that the cross-sectional dimension gradually decreases toward the elastic connecting piece 22. Further, the cross-sectional dimension of the outer peripheral surface 28 is larger than the opening dimension of the through hole 14 at the end portion on the side opposite to the elastic connecting piece 22 and smaller than the opening dimension of the through hole 14 at the end portion on the elastic connecting piece 22 side. Has been. Note that the flange portion 20 in the present embodiment has an inner peripheral surface 26 and an outer peripheral surface 28 that have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape with rounded corners, but an oval shape that matches the land of the through hole 14. You may do it.

  Then, a pair of elastic connection pieces 22 are formed so as to protrude from the long side portion of the rectangular shape at the inner peripheral edge portion of the flange portion 20. The pair of elastic connection pieces 22 have the same shape as each other, have a plate shape having a rectangular cross section, and the width dimension W is slightly smaller than the width dimension w of the connection terminal 18. .

  The elastic connecting piece 22 is formed with a base end portion 30 connected to the flange portion 20, an intermediate portion 32 located at an intermediate portion in the protruding direction, and a protruding tip portion 34. The base end portion 30, the intermediate portion 32, and the protruding tip end portion 34 all extend linearly.

  A contact portion 36 is formed between the base end portion 30 and the intermediate portion 32. The contact portion 36 is convex toward the other elastic connection piece 22 and has a curved shape protruding inward of the relay terminal 10.

  On the other hand, a retaining locking portion 38 is formed between the intermediate portion 32 and the protruding tip portion 34. Contrary to the contact portion 36, the retaining locking portion 38 is concave with respect to the other elastic connection piece 22 and has a curved shape protruding outward from the relay terminal 10.

  The distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 is maximum at the base end portion 30 and minimum at the projecting tip end portion 34 when the connection terminal 18 is not inserted. Accordingly, the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 as a whole has a tapered shape that approaches the projecting distal end portion 34 from the proximal end portion 30. The pair of elastic connection pieces 22 can be easily inserted into the through hole 14 so that the maximum distance between the opposing surfaces of the outer peripheral surface 40 is the length of the through hole 14 when the connection terminal 18 is not inserted. It is set to be smaller than the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the direction (left and right direction in FIG. 3). Further, the minimum distance D between the opposing surfaces of the pair of contact portions 36 is set to be smaller than the thickness dimension d of the connection terminal 18.

  The relay terminal 10 having such a structure is inserted into the through hole 14 from the protruding tip 34 of the elastic connection piece 22. Then, the outer peripheral surface 28 of the flange portion 20 having a tapered shape is locked to one opening peripheral edge portion 42 of the through hole 14, whereby the flange portion 20 is positioned on the opening peripheral edge portion 42 and the relay terminal 10. Is mounted in the through hole 14. As a result, the elastic connecting piece 22 extends from the inner peripheral edge of the flange portion 20 into the through hole 14, and the contact portion 36 is positioned in the through hole 14, while the retaining locking portion 38 has the through hole 14. It protrudes from the other opening peripheral edge part 44.

  A connection terminal 18 is inserted into the relay terminal 10 mounted in the through hole 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the connection terminal 18 has a flat plate shape having a rectangular cross section. One end is a protruding end 46, and the other end is an insertion end 48. Between the protruding end portion 46 and the insertion end portion 48, a locking collar portion 50 that protrudes in the direction perpendicular to the axis over the entire circumference is integrally formed. The locking hook 50 is formed with a size smaller than the maximum size of the insertion port 24 of the relay terminal 10 and larger than the minimum size. In addition, the formation position of the locking hook portion 50 in the axial direction of the connection terminal 18 is determined in consideration of the required projecting dimension from the printed circuit board 12 and the like. Further, a pair of engaging recesses 52 are formed at positions spaced apart from the locking collar 50 by a predetermined distance in the axial direction toward the insertion end 48. The engaging recess 52 is formed on each of the pair of flat surfaces 54 of the connection terminal 18 and has a groove shape that opens outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis and extends over the entire length of the connection terminal 18 in the width direction. .

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connection terminal 18 is inserted into the insertion port 24 of the relay terminal 10 attached to the through hole 14 from the insertion end 48 side. The connection terminal 18 is guided to the central portion of the relay terminal 10 by the inner peripheral surface 26 of the flange portion 20 having a tapered shape. The amount of insertion of the connection terminal 18 into the relay terminal 10 is defined by the locking hook portion 50 being locked to the inner peripheral surface 26 of the tapered hook portion 20.

  When the connection terminal 18 is inserted between the opposing surfaces of the elastic connection piece 22, the pair of base end portions 30 and the intermediate portion 32 are elastically deformed in directions away from each other, and are formed on the inner peripheral surface 56 of the through hole 14. Pressed. At the same time, the contact portions 36 projecting inwardly in the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 are respectively connected in the engaged state with the engagement recess 52 of the connection terminal 18 based on the restoring force of the elastic connection piece 22. 18 planes 54 are contacted. Accordingly, the connection terminal 18 is sandwiched between the pair of contact portions 36 and supported by the relay terminal 10 and is attached to the through hole 14 via the relay terminal 10. The relay terminal 10 contacts the through hole 14 at the base end portion 30 and the intermediate portion 32, and the connection terminal 18 contacts the relay terminal 10 at the contact portion 36. As a result, the connection terminal 18 is electrically connected to the through hole 14 and the printed wiring connected to the through hole 14 via the relay terminal 10. Thus, in the present embodiment, the base end portion 30 and the intermediate portion 32 are connected to the through hole 14.

  Further, in a state where the connection terminal 18 is inserted into the relay terminal 10, the retaining locking portions 38 protruding from the other opening peripheral edge portion 44 of the through hole 14 are separated from each other when the connection terminal 18 is inserted. Expanded. Thereby, the maximum separation distance of the outer peripheral surface 40 of the pair of retaining stoppers 38 is made larger than the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the through hole 14. As a result, when the relay terminal 10 moves in the direction of coming out of the through hole 14, the retaining locking portion 38 is locked by the opening peripheral portion 44 of the through hole 14, thereby preventing the through terminal 14 from coming off. The

  As a result, the connection terminal 18 protrudes from the printed circuit board 12 via the relay terminal 10. The printed circuit board 12 on which the connection terminal 18 is projected is accommodated, for example, between an upper case and a lower case (not shown), and the connection terminal 18 protrudes into a connector accommodating portion formed in the upper case or the lower case. Then, an external line connector is fitted into the connector housing portion, and the connector terminal is connected to the connection terminal 18.

  According to such a relay terminal 10, the connection terminal 18 can be mounted in the through hole 14 without using solder and without using a special jig or tool. Therefore, a complicated soldering process can be eliminated, and the mounting operation of the connection terminal 18 to the through hole 14 can be simplified and reduced in cost. In addition, by eliminating solder, problems such as solder cracks are also eliminated.

  Then, by sandwiching the connection terminal 18 between the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 of the relay terminal 10, the connection terminal 18 can be firmly fixed to the through hole 14 without using solder. In particular, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 36 of the elastic connection piece 22 engages with the engagement recess 52 of the connection terminal 18 so that the connection terminal 18 can be held more firmly and the disconnection of the connection terminal 18 is suppressed. You can also Furthermore, since the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 are tapered, the risk of damaging the inner peripheral surface 26 of the through hole 14 during insertion into the through hole 14 is reduced, and the connection terminal 18 is inserted. By doing so, the elastic connection piece 22 is reliably expanded, and the pinching force of the connection terminal 18 based on the restoring force of the elastic connection piece 22 is more effectively exhibited. In addition, the projecting tip 34 is urged toward the connection terminal 18 by the curved shape of the retaining locking portion 38, so that an effective holding force can be expressed even at the tip of the elastic connection piece 22. It is possible to hold 18 more firmly.

  Further, in the relay terminal 10, the outer peripheral surface 28 of the flange portion 20 is locked to one opening peripheral edge portion 42 of the through hole 14. Thereby, the collar part 20 can be reliably contacted with the land of the through hole 14 in a wide range. Accordingly, since the electrical connection with the through hole 14 and the printed wiring can be secured stably, the land of the through hole 14 can be downsized. Particularly in the present embodiment, the through hole 14 is a plated through hole, and the base end portion 30 and the intermediate portion 32 of the elastic connection piece 22 are pressed against the inner peripheral surface 56 of the through hole 14 to be electrically connected. Thus, a more stable electrical connection is possible.

  Further, since the flat surface 54 of the wide connection terminal 18 and the elastic connection piece 22 are overlapped, the contact allowance between the connection terminal 18 and the elastic connection piece 22 can be effectively ensured, and a stronger holding force and more In addition to obtaining stable electrical connectivity, rolling around the central axis of the connection terminal 18 is also suppressed by overlapping the planes, and the connection terminal 18 can be positioned with high accuracy. In addition, the amount of protrusion of the connection terminal 18 from the printed circuit board 12 can be set with high accuracy by the engagement hook portion 50 of the connection terminal 18 being engaged with the inner peripheral surface 26 of the insertion port 24 of the relay terminal 10. . In particular, in this embodiment, since the width dimension of the elastic connection piece 22 is slightly smaller than the width dimension of the connection terminal 18, the insertion state of the connection terminal 18 into the relay terminal 10 can be easily visually confirmed. You can also

  The relay terminals 10 may be mounted independently in the through holes 14 of the printed circuit board 12, but the relay terminal units 16 are configured by the plurality of relay terminals 10 and collectively into the plurality of through holes 14. It is also possible to install. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the relay terminal unit 16 has a base 60 made of synthetic resin having a rectangular flat plate shape. A plurality of relay terminals 10 are arranged and the flange portion 20 is insert-molded on the pedestal 60, so that these relay terminals 10 are connected by the pedestal 60. Note that the number and arrangement interval of the relay terminals 10 are set according to, for example, the number of terminals and the pitch of the connector. In addition, through holes 62 corresponding to the number of relay terminals 10 are formed in the base 60, and the through holes 62 communicate with the insertion ports 24 of the flange portions 20 of the relay terminals 10. The connection terminal 18 is inserted into the relay terminal 10 through the through hole 62.

  If such a relay terminal unit 16 is used, a plurality of relay terminals 10 can be simultaneously inserted into the through holes 14. Since the relay terminals 10 are positioned at the time of insert molding on the pedestal 60, it is not necessary to position each relay terminal 10 at the time of insertion into the through hole 14. Moreover, the insulation between each relay terminal 10 can be reliably ensured by the base 60 made of synthetic resin.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited by the specific description. For example, in the relay terminal 10 in the embodiment, the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 are integrally formed with the flange portion 20, but one or both of the pair of elastic connection pieces 22 are separated from the flange portion 20. It may be formed and connected to the flange 20 by welding or adhesion. In addition, the flange portion 20 of the relay terminal 10 in the above embodiment has a tapered shape. However, a stepped surface is formed at a connection portion with the elastic connecting piece 22, and this stepped surface is the peripheral edge of one opening of the through hole 14. It may be engaged with the portion 42 or the like. In addition, the shape of the insertion port 24 of the flange portion 20 is substantially rectangular, but the shape of the insertion port 24 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the connection terminal 18. For example, the connection terminal 18 has a square cross section. In the case of using a terminal having a square shape, it may be formed in a square shape, or in the case of using a terminal having a circular cross section as the connection terminal 18, it may be formed in a circular shape.

  Further, the size of the relay terminal can be appropriately set according to the size of the connection terminal to be inserted. Therefore, when a plurality of relay terminals are combined to form a relay terminal unit, for example, according to a predetermined standard, a plurality of relay terminals having different sizes may be combined to form a relay terminal unit. .

  Moreover, the relay terminal unit 16 in the said embodiment is an illustration to the last, Comprising: You may arrange the some relay terminal 10 in the base 60 in several rows. Further, the specific shape of the pedestal 60 is not limited to a quadrangular shape, and can be appropriately set in consideration of the arrangement of surrounding electrical components, the arrangement of circuit conductors such as printed wiring, and the like. Accordingly, for example, a relay terminal unit may be configured by a base for each relay terminal of one connector housing portion, or one relay terminal may be configured by combining relay terminals of a plurality of connector housing portions on one base. The relay terminals of a plurality of connector housing portions may be mounted at a time by the unit.

  Further, the locking collar 50 and the engaging recess 52 in the connection terminal 18 are not necessarily required, and may be a flat connection terminal or the like. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a locking step surface 64 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis is formed on the protruding portion of the connection terminal 18 from the elastic connection piece 22, and the locking step surface 64 is formed on the elastic connection piece 22. A locking structure from the relay terminal 10 may be formed by locking the protruding tip.

  Furthermore, the connection terminal inserted into the relay terminal 10 is not limited to the board terminal used for connector connection. For example, by connecting and fixing connection terminals of electrical components such as relays and fuses to the relay terminals, these electrical components can be mounted on a printed circuit board without using solder.

  Furthermore, a bus bar circuit is used as a circuit conductor, and a relay terminal according to the present invention is mounted in a through hole penetrating the bus bar circuit, and the bus bar is supported by the relay terminal. It is also possible to project tabs on the circuit. If it does in this way, the arrangement | positioning freedom degree of a tab can be improved.

10: relay terminal, 12: printed circuit board, 14: through hole, 16: relay terminal unit, 18: connection terminal, 20: collar, 22: elastic connection piece, 30: base end (connection), 32: middle Part (connection part), 34: protruding tip part, 36: contact part, 38: retaining locking part, 42: one opening peripheral part, 44: other opening peripheral part, 56: inner peripheral surface, 60: pedestal

Claims (4)

A relay terminal that is attached to a through hole in a circuit conductor and is used to attach a connection terminal to the circuit conductor,
An annular flange that is locked to one opening peripheral edge of the through hole and positioned on the one opening peripheral edge, and extends from the inner peripheral edge of the flange into the through hole. A pair of elastic connection pieces that are projected to the other opening side of the first and second openings are formed of an elastic conductive material, and the pair of elastic connection pieces are inserted between opposing surfaces of the pair of elastic connection pieces. A contact portion that contacts the connection terminal; a connection portion that is elastically deformed in a separation direction by being inserted into the connection terminal and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the circuit conductor; and the other of the through hole A relay terminal that is formed with a retaining engagement portion that is widened at a protruding portion toward the opening portion and is engaged with the peripheral edge portion of the other opening.   The distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of elastic connecting pieces is maximized at the proximal end and minimized at the distal end, and the portion protruding from the other opening peripheral edge of the through hole is tapered. The relay terminal according to claim 1.   A relay terminal unit in which a plurality of relay terminals according to claim 1 are arranged and connected by a resin base.   A printed circuit board on which the relay terminal according to claim 1 or 2 is mounted, and a connection terminal is mounted on the relay terminal.

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