JP2011034877A - Junction connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a junction connector capable of reliably achieving a complicated branching of a wire harness and miniaturization. <P>SOLUTION: The inserting junction connector 1 capable of inserting from both sides includes a printed circuit board 20 having a pattern conductor 22 forming a circuit pattern, and rod-shaped male terminals 30 which penetrate the printed circuit board 20 and stand up at a projecting state from both surface sides of the printed circuit board 20. The male terminal 30 and a boundary corner with the male terminal 30 are melted and joined with the laser beam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a junction connector that branches a wire harness routed in an automobile.

  For electrical connection in electrical components of automobiles, it is necessary to branch the wire harness in a complicated manner as the electrical structure becomes complicated, and a junction connector that can be easily branched has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the junction connector 200 is configured by standing a male terminal 230 on a printed circuit board 220 on which a pattern conductor portion 222 constituting a circuit pattern is formed and mounting the male terminal 230 on the connector housing 210. ing. The female connector unit 240 attached to the wire harness 300 is connected to the connector housing 210 by being connected thereto.

  Thereby, the wire harness 300 is connected to the pattern conductor part 222 via the fitted female connector unit 240 and the male terminal 230, and a desired electric circuit can be comprised. Therefore, a desired electrical branch can be realized reliably and easily.

However, in recent years, the electrical structure has become more complicated, the number of wirings has further increased, and the branch structure has become more complicated.
In addition, there is a growing need for miniaturization, weight reduction, or cost reduction of automobile parts due to high functionality, environmental protection, price competitiveness, etc., and it is necessary to reduce the size, weight, or cost of the junction connector 200. There is.

  In such a more complicated electrical structure, in the junction connector 200 described in Patent Document 1, the size of the connector housing 210 is regulated by the number of wire harnesses 300 to be connected, so that the size and weight can be reduced. It was difficult.

JP 2004-11279 A

  An object of this invention is to provide the junction connector which can implement | achieve the complicated branch of a wire harness easily and reliably, and can be reduced in size.

The present invention comprises a printed circuit board having a pattern conductor portion constituting a circuit pattern, and a rod-shaped terminal member that stands up in a manner of penetrating the printed circuit board and projecting from both sides of the printed circuit board. The contact portion between the terminal member and the pattern conductor portion is a junction connector obtained by fusion bonding with a high energy density heat source.
As an aspect of the present invention, the high energy density heat source can be constituted by any one of a laser, an electron beam, and plasma.

The printed circuit board can be, for example, a circuit board provided with a copper thin plate constituting a pattern conductor portion on the surface of a glass epoxy base material, or a thick copper board having a circuit pattern formed on the surface.
The rod-shaped terminal member is made of copper or copper alloy having excellent conductivity, and can be inserted into and fitted into a female terminal member to be an electrically connectable terminal member.

  The fusion bonding using the energy density heat source may be welding for irradiating a laser, an electron beam, or plasma to the contact portion between the terminal member and the pattern conductor portion for melting and joining.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a junction connector that can easily and reliably realize complicated branching of a wire harness and can be miniaturized.

Explanatory drawing by the perspective view of a double insertion junction connector. The disassembled perspective view of a double insertion junction connector. The AA sectional view in Drawing 1 in a double insertion junction connector. The perspective view explaining insertion of the female connector unit in a double insertion junction connector. Sectional drawing in the double insertion junction connector of another embodiment. The perspective view of the conventional junction connector. The disassembled perspective view of the conventional junction connector. BB sectional drawing in FIG. 6 in the conventional junction connector.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the double-insertion junction connector 1, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the double-insertion junction connector 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The double-insertion junction connector 1 will be described together with FIG. 4 showing a perspective view for explaining the insertion of the female connector unit 40 in the double-insertion junction connector 1.

  1A is a perspective view of the double-junction junction connector 1 showing the harness 100 of the double-insertion junction connector 1 in a transparent manner, and FIG. 1B is a double-insertion showing the connector housing 10 in a transparent manner. A perspective view of the junction connector 1 is shown.

  In the present invention, the double-junction junction connector 1 is erected in such a manner that the printed circuit board 20 having the pattern conductor portion 22 constituting the circuit pattern and the printed circuit board 20 are projected from both sides of the printed circuit board 20. A rod-shaped male terminal 30 is provided.

  In the double-junction junction connector 1, the contact portion K between the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30 in the printed circuit board 20 is melt-bonded by a high energy density heat source using a laser R.

The above-described configuration will be described in detail. The double-junction junction connector 1 is inserted from both sides of the printed circuit board 20 in which the male terminals 30 are erected, the connector housing 10 equipped with the printed circuit board 20 inside, and the connector housing 10. The female connector unit 40 is used.
The printed circuit board 20 is formed in a rectangular plate shape when viewed from the side, and includes a plurality of male terminals 30 erected in a matrix with a plurality of rows in the width direction W and a plurality of steps in the height direction H.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the printed circuit board 20 includes a glass epoxy base material 21 and a pattern conductor portion 22 formed of a copper thin plate 22 a and a resist 22 b on the surface of the glass epoxy base material 21.

  The male terminal 30 is a thin columnar copper terminal having both ends reduced in diameter, and is erected in such a manner that it penetrates the printed circuit board 20 and protrudes from both surfaces of the printed circuit board 20.

  The boundary corner portion K between the male terminal 30 and the pattern conductor portion 22 of the printed circuit board 20 is welded by the laser R. An alloy layer 23 formed by melting the male terminal 30 and the pattern conductor portion 22 is formed in the boundary corner portion K by welding with the laser R, and a stable connection state is ensured (see FIG. 3a enlarged view). ).

In addition, since the male terminal 30 and the pattern conductor part 22 contact and the boundary corner | angular part K is welded with the laser R, the male terminal 30 can comprise a desired electric circuit.
For example, in the row of male terminals 30 near the center of the printed circuit board 20 shown in FIG. 3, the input signal Ia input from the left terminal portion 31 a of the lower first-stage male terminal 31 is the same as that of the lower first-stage male terminal 31. The output signal Oa is output from the right terminal portion 31b.

  The input signal Ib input from the left terminal portion 33a of the lower third-stage male terminal 33 includes the right terminal portion 32b of the lower second-stage male terminal 32, the right terminal portion 33b of the lower third-stage male terminal 33, The third stage male terminal 34 is branched into three locations with the right terminal portion 34b and output as an output signal Ob.

  The input signal Ic input from the right terminal portion 35b of the upper second-stage male terminal 35 is 2 between the right terminal portion 36b of the upper first-stage male terminal 36 and the left terminal portion 36a of the upper first-stage male terminal 36. The signal is branched to a location and output as an output signal Oc.

Further, the pattern conductor portions 22 constituting the signal transmission path are also connected in the column direction.
In addition, the electric circuit comprised by the said pattern conductor part 22 is not limited to the said path | route, but comprises a desired signal path | route.

The connector housing 10 is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape having an insertion space 10a having an open end in the insertion direction Z (left-right direction in FIG. 3).
Specifically, the connector housing 10 includes a lower housing 11 having a concave shape when viewed from the side, and an upper housing 12 having a concave shape when viewed from the side that is symmetrical with respect to the lower housing 11 (see FIG. 2).

  The inner surface side of the lower housing 11 and the upper housing 12 is provided with a board locking groove 13 formed of a groove in the cross-sectional direction, which is locked by the peripheral edge of the printed circuit board 20, near the center in the insertion direction Z. Yes.

  Furthermore, female connector locking grooves 14 that allow the locking projections 43 of the single female connector 41 of the female connector unit 40 (40a, 40b) to be locked are formed on the inner side surfaces of the lower housing 11 and the upper housing 12. I have.

  In the insertion space 10a formed by the lower housing 11 and the upper housing 12, the printed circuit board 20 is mounted in the vicinity of the center of the width direction W, and the female connector unit 40 can be inserted from the openings on both sides of the width direction W. This is a rectangular parallelepiped space that is slightly smaller than the connector housing 10.

The female connector unit 40 to be inserted into the insertion space 10a is configured by stacking and fixing a predetermined number of single female connectors 41 in the vertical direction.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the single female connector 41 constituting the female connector unit 40 includes a female connector main body 42 having a terminal mounting space 41a in which a female terminal 45 connected to the harness 100 is mounted, and a female connector. A locking projection 43 projecting sideways from both sides of the main body 42 and a side projecting piece 44 projecting sideways on the front side surface in the insertion direction Z of the single female connector 41 are integrally formed of an insulating resin material. is doing.

  The terminal mounting space 41a is a space penetrating in the insertion direction Z, and the back side in the insertion direction Z (FIG. 2) is a circular cross-sectional opening that allows insertion of the male terminal 30, and the front side in the insertion direction Z (FIG. 2) is a rectangular cross-sectional opening that allows the female terminal 45 and the harness 100 to be inserted.

Further, the single female connector 41 constituting the female connector unit 40 by stacking is provided with fixing means (not shown) for fixing the stacked state.
Furthermore, as described above, the female terminal 45 and the harness 100 are mounted at terminals corresponding to the male terminal 30 that transmits the input signal I to the male terminal 30 and the male terminal 30 that transmits the output signal O. Equipped in the space 41a.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the double-insertion junction connector 1 using the connector housing 10 configured as described above will be described. First, the male terminal 30 is attached to the printed circuit board 20 having the pattern conductor portion 22 corresponding to a desired circuit pattern. Then, the boundary corner portion K between the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30 is welded with the laser R to form the alloy layer 23.

  While the printed circuit board 20 constituting the desired electric circuit is locked in the board locking groove 13, the lower housing 11 and the upper housing 12 are combined, and the printed circuit board 20 is inserted into the insertion space 10a. Is formed (see FIG. 4).

  And while equip | installing the female terminal 45 to which the harness 100 was connected to the terminal installation space 41a of the location corresponding to the male terminal 30 which transmits the input signal I, and the male terminal 30 which transmits the output signal O, a single-piece female connector A female connector unit 40 is configured by stacking 41 predetermined numbers. Here, the female connector units 40 (40a, 40b) for both sides in the insertion direction Z of the connector housing 10 are configured according to the respective circuit configurations.

  The female connector unit 40 thus configured is inserted into the connector housing 10 by moving in the insertion direction Z while the locking projection 43 is locked in the female connector locking groove 14 of the connector housing 10. By inserting the female connector unit 40 into the connector housing 10, the male terminal 30 erected on the printed circuit board 20 is inserted into the terminal mounting space 41 a and fitted with the female terminal 45 to be electrically connected. .

  In this manner, by inserting the female connector units 40a and 40b into the connector housing 10, the male terminal 30 electrically connected to the pattern conductor portion 22 that matches the desired circuit pattern, the female connector unit 40a, The harness 100 connected to 40b can be electrically connected.

  Therefore, the harness 100 of the female connector unit 40a and the harness 100 of the female connector unit 40b can be connected in a state where a complicated branch of the electric circuit that transmits the electric signal is realized.

  Further, since the harness 100 is distributed on both sides of the connector housing 10 and is inserted from both sides of the connector housing 10 via the female connector unit 40, the connector housing 10 is reduced in size compared to the conventional junction connector 200. In addition, the weight can be reduced.

  Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which the connector housing 10 is inserted from both sides via the female connector unit 40, for example, an electric circuit having various circuit configurations independent of the input / output direction of signals to the connector housing 10 is constructed. Thus, the degree of freedom in designing the electric circuit can be improved.

  In the case of the conventional junction connector 200 shown in FIG. 6, since the wire harness 300 is attached only from one side of the connector housing 210 via the female connector unit 240, depending on the routing route of the wire harness 300, insertion is possible. It is necessary to route from the back side in the direction Z to the front side in the insertion direction Z. In this case, the harness length becomes long and waste occurs, and a load due to an unreasonable wiring path is applied to a connection portion with the connector terminal, which may cause a connection failure.

  On the other hand, since the double-insertion junction connector 1 connects the harness 100 from both sides of the connector housing 10 via the female connector unit 40, the harness 100 can be connected from the direction according to the routing route.

  Accordingly, the harness length can be eliminated and the weight can be reduced. Furthermore, the load by an unreasonable wiring path is not given to the connection part with a connector terminal, and a possibility that it may become a connection failure can be reduced.

  Further, since the boundary corner portion K between the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30 matched with a desired circuit pattern is welded with the laser R to form the alloy layer 23, the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30 are The electrical conductivity due to the contact with each other can be supplemented by the alloy layer 23 of the laser R, and an electrical connection state with higher energization performance can be ensured.

  Furthermore, since the boundary corner portion K between the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30 matching the desired circuit pattern is welded by the laser R, the male terminal 30 can be more firmly fixed to the printed circuit board 20.

  Therefore, for example, even when the strength of the printed circuit board 20 is reduced by reducing the distance between the adjacent male terminals 30, that is, by reducing the pitch of the male terminals 30, the fixed electrical connection is ensured. Can be realized.

  Therefore, while ensuring a reliable electrical connection, the pitch between the adjacent male terminals 30 can be reduced to reduce the pitch, and the double-insertion junction connector 1 can be reduced in size and weight.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, in order to fix the male terminal 230 to the printed circuit board 220 in the junction connector 200, the back side of the junction connector 200 is soldered, and the pattern conductor portion 222 and the male terminal 230 are connected. When complementing the electrical connection state, there is a risk of warping of the printed circuit board 220 due to soldering heat, damage to the male terminal 230, or the like.

  Also, solder wettability control, migration, and whisker measures are required. These controls and countermeasures become more difficult and difficult due to the narrow pitch that shortens the distance between adjacent male terminals 230.

  However, since the male terminal 30 and the pattern conductor portion 22 are welded by the laser R to form the alloy layer 23 to supplement the electrical connectivity, the control and measures as described above are not necessary, and the male terminal 30 The pitch can be reduced to reduce the distance between them.

  Further, since the male terminal 30 is fitted to the female terminal 45 so as to be sandwiched from both sides, when the female connector unit 40a and the female connector unit 40b are simultaneously inserted into the connector housing 10, the printed circuit board 20 and A load due to the fitting reaction force does not occur in the boundary corner portion K of the, and a more reliable and durable connection state can be established.

  In the above description, a plurality of male terminals 30 arranged in a matrix form are fixed to the single printed circuit board 20, but different circuit patterns are configured for each as shown in FIG. The two printed circuit boards 20 having the pattern conductor portions 22 may be arranged in parallel, and both the printed circuit boards 20 may be penetrated by the male terminals 30 and fixed in a skewered manner.

  Accordingly, various electric circuits can be configured by the pattern conductor portions 22 of both the printed circuit boards 20 as compared with the case where the plurality of male terminals 30 are fixed to the printed circuit board 20 by penetration. Therefore, a more complicated branch structure can be constituted by the double-insertion junction connector 1 with a reduced size.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The contact portion of the present invention corresponds to the boundary corner K,
Similarly,
High energy density heat source corresponds to laser R,
The junction connector corresponds to the double-junction junction connector 1,
The present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

  Although the laser R is used as a high energy density heat source for welding the pattern conductor portion 22 and the male terminal 30, a welding apparatus using an electron beam or plasma as the high energy density heat source may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Both insertion junction connector 20 ... Printed circuit board 22 ... Pattern conductor part K ... Boundary corner part

Claims (2)

A printed circuit board having a pattern conductor portion that constitutes a circuit pattern, and a bar-shaped terminal member that stands up in a manner that penetrates the printed circuit board and protrudes from both sides of the printed circuit board,
A junction connector in which a contact portion between the terminal member and the pattern conductor is melt-bonded by a high energy density heat source. The high energy density heat source,
The junction connector according to claim 1, wherein the junction connector is configured by any one of a laser, an electron beam, and plasma.

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