JP2011258340A - Connection apparatus and connection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connection apparatus and a connection method capable of reducing waste of material when punching from a metal plate and deforming freely in accordance with an arrangement of circuit elements.SOLUTION: Each of a plurality of conductive connection sections 1 provided in a connection apparatus 10 has a first terminal part 2, a second terminal part 3 and a concatenation part 4 concatenating both the terminal parts 2 and 3, and deformable parts 5a and 5b are formed in the concatenation part 4. A plurality of bent portions 7 are formed in the deformable parts 5a and 5b. By plastically deforming the deformable parts 5a and 5b, relative positions of a plurality of the first terminal parts 2 and a plurality of the second terminal parts 3 can be freely determined. A plurality of the conductive connection sections 1 are held by a supporting member, disconnected at a link part 9 thereafter, and separated from each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection device for connecting circuit elements such as switches, electronic components, or conductive paths using a conductive connecting portion formed of a metal plate, and in particular, when punching a conductive connecting portion, the metal plate The present invention relates to a connection device and a connection method that can eliminate wastefulness and can freely form a conduction path corresponding to the interval and arrangement of circuit elements.

  As a connection device for connecting circuit elements such as a switch, an electronic component, or a conductive path, there is a device using a conductive connection part punched from a conductive metal plate.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a seat switch in which a plurality of switch units are mounted on an insulating switch base. In this sheet switch, a wiring line punched out of a conductive metal plate is fixed to a switch base, and a terminal portion of each switch is connected to the wiring line.

  Since the wiring line is punched from the metal plate so as to have a shape that matches the arrangement interval of the terminal portions of the plurality of switches, a metal plate having a larger area than the wiring line after punching is used. It is necessary. Therefore, when the wiring line is punched out, a large part of the metal plate becomes scrap which is a remaining part that is not used as the wiring line, resulting in a waste of material and a poor yield.

  In addition, the wiring line needs to be individually processed so as to match the wiring path of the product to be used, and it is difficult to use it in common for a plurality of types of products. Therefore, it is necessary to manufacture a die for punching a wiring line for each product, and there is a limit to reducing the manufacturing cost.

JP 2008-97935 A

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, can reduce the waste of materials, improve the yield of materials, is versatile, and reduces the types of molds for manufacturing. An object of the present invention is to provide a connection device and a connection method capable of reducing the cost.

In the connecting device according to the present invention, the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion that connects the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are integrally formed of a conductive metal plate. Has been
At least a part of the connecting portion is formed with a deformable portion that can be deformed so as to widen the distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion and that maintains the deformed state. is there.

  In the connection device according to the present invention, the distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is relatively short in the initial state after processing, and then the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are deformed by deforming the deformable portion. It is possible to widen the distance from the terminal portion. Therefore, it is possible to punch from a metal plate having a smaller size than the distance between the deformed first terminal portion and the second terminal portion. Therefore, the waste of material can be kept to a minimum.

  In the connection device of the present invention, the deformable portion has a bent portion capable of plastic deformation.

  In the connecting device of the present invention, the first center line that bisects the first terminal portion in the width direction and the second center that bisects the second terminal portion in the width direction before the deformation portion is deformed. The center line is located on the straight common center line, and the distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion intersects the direction along the common center line and the common center line. It can be expanded in any direction.

  Alternatively, before the deformation portion is deformed, a first center line that bisects the first terminal portion in the width direction and a second center line that bisects the second terminal portion in the width direction are: The first and second terminal portions are not located on the same straight line, and the parallel state is such that the distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is maintained parallel to the first center line and the second center line. It can be expanded in any direction that does not maintain the.

  Regardless of the shape, the relative positions of the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion can be adjusted to the arrangement of the circuit elements, and the same connection device can be used for different types of devices. , Can increase versatility. As a result, the types of molds for processing the connection device can be reduced, and cost reduction can be easily realized.

  In the connecting device of the present invention, at least one of the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is provided with a hole or a recess for positioning or for applying a deformation force, or the deformation What is provided with the said hole or the recessed part between a part and the said deformation | transformation part is preferable.

  By using a hole or a recess for positioning or applying a deforming force, the deformed portion is easily deformed, and the shape is easily stabilized when the hole or the recess is used to hold the support member.

  In the connection device of the present invention, the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion having the deformation portion constitute one conductive connection portion, and a plurality of the conductive connection portions include It can comprise as what is connected through the cut | disconnecting connection part.

  In this case, it can be deformed so as to widen at least one of the interval between the first terminal portions and the interval between the second terminal portions.

  Moreover, the said some conduction | electrical_connection connection part can be comprised as what is hold | maintained at the insulating support member in the state in which the said connection part was cut | disconnected.

In the connection method of the present invention, the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion that connects the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are integrally formed of a conductive metal plate. And using a connecting device in which a deformed portion is formed on at least a part of the connecting portion,
The deformation portion is deformed to widen the distance between the first terminal portion and the first terminal portion from the initial state, and the relative position between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is changed from the initial state. By changing, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are connected to a circuit element.

The present invention can reduce the amount of scrap that is the remaining portion when the distance between the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion is punched from the metal plate, and can improve the yield of the material.
In addition, wiring continuity of different wiring paths can be realized by using a common connection device.

The top view which shows the initial state of the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, The top view which shows the state which the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus shown in FIG. 1 deformed plastically, The top view which shows the state with which the conduction | electrical_connection connection part shown in FIG. 2 was hold | maintained at the support member, Sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the connection apparatus shown in FIG. 3 by the IV-IV line, The top view which shows the initial state of the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, The top view which shows the state which the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus shown in FIG. 5 deformed plastically, The top view which shows the initial state of the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, The top view which shows the initial state of the conduction | electrical_connection connection part of the connection apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention,

  1 to 4 show a connection device 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an initial state in which the plurality of conductive connecting portions 1 constituting the connection device 10 are not deformed, and FIG. 2 shows a deformed state in which each of the plurality of conductive connecting portions 1 is deformed. 3 and 4 show a state in which the plurality of conductive connection portions in the deformed state are held by the support member.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the conductive connection portions 1 in the initial state before deformation are punched out of a conductive metal plate in a state where a plurality of conductive connection portions 1 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 9. The conductive metal plate is a brass plate or phosphor bronze plate, and the surface is plated with nickel, gold, or the like.

  Each of the plurality of conductive connection portions 1 has the same width dimension W1, and all the conductive connection portions 1 have a uniform thickness. This thickness is the same as the thickness dimension of the metal plate before being punched.

  Each conductive connection portion 1 includes a first terminal portion 2 and a second terminal portion 3, and a connecting portion 4 that connects the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3. The 1st terminal part 2 and the 2nd terminal part 3 are parts connected to a circuit element, and the connection part 4 is the other part. A deformation portion is formed on at least a part of the connecting portion 4. The deforming part may be formed in a part of the connecting part 4, or the entire connecting part 4 may be a deforming part. Further, the deforming portion may be formed at a plurality of locations in the connecting portion 4.

  1 and FIG. 2, the first connecting portion 5a and the second deforming portion 5b are separately formed in the connecting portion 4, and the first connecting portion 5a and the first connecting portion 1 shown in FIG. A positioning and fixing portion 6 is provided between the second deformable portion 5b. In FIG. 1, in the (1) -th, (4) -th and (5) -th conductive connecting portions 1 from the upper side of the drawing, the first deformable portion 5a is longer than the second deformable portion 5b. In the (2) th and (3) th conductive connection portions 1, the first deformable portion 5a is shorter than the second deformable portion 5b.

  1 includes a first center line O1 that bisects the first terminal 2 in the width direction and a second center that bisects the second terminal 3 in the width direction. The line O2 is located on a linear common center line extending in the left-right direction in FIG. The width dimension of the connecting portion 4 is W1, and the maximum width dimension of the first deformable portion 5a, the second deformable portion 5b, and the positioning and fixing portion 6 is also W1. The width dimension of the second terminal portion 3 is W1. However, the width dimension of the first terminal portion 2 is smaller than W1.

  A bent portion 7 is provided in the first deformable portion 5a and the second deformable portion 5b. The bent portion 7 has a band plate 7a that is sufficiently smaller than the width dimension W1, and the band plate 7a is bent by the first bent portion 7b and the second bent portion 7c. The first bent portion 7b is bent into a curved shape so that the convex portion is oriented in a direction orthogonal to the first center line O1 and the second center line O2, and the second bent portion 7c is the first bent portion 7c. It is bent into a curved shape so that the convex portion faces the side opposite to the portion 7b. However, the first bent portion and the second bent portion may be bent into a shape having a corner portion.

  As shown in FIG. 1, holes 8 a and 8 b for positioning or for imparting deformation force are formed in two locations of the second terminal portion 3, and positioning or deformation force is provided in the positioning fixing portion 6. A hole 8c is provided to give The holes 8a, 8b, and 8c are round holes that penetrate the metal plate. However, the holes 8a, 8b, and 8c may be elongated holes, and a recess for positioning or applying a deformation force may be formed instead of the holes 8a, 8b, and 8c. Furthermore, a hole or a recess may be formed in the first terminal portion 2, or a hole or a recess may be formed between the first terminal portion 2 and the first deformable portion 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connection device 10 can plastically deform the deformable portions 5 a and 5 b of the respective conductive connection portions 1.

  In the bent portion 7 of the deformable portions 5a and 5b, at least one of the first bent portion 7b and the second bent portion 7c is plastically deformed so that the curvature becomes small, so that the total length of the deformable portions 5a and 5b is increased. The length can be extended. As a result, the distance between the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 is increased while the first center line O1 and the second center line O2 remain aligned on the linear common center line. It can be deformed. Alternatively, the relative position of the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 is changed so that at least one of the first center line O1 and the second center line O2 intersects the common center line. You can also.

  In the deformed state shown in FIG. 2, compared with the initial state of FIG. 1, the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 are connected in all of the (1) th to (5) th conductive connection portions 1. The distance is widened. In the (1) th to (4) th conductive connection portions 1, the second center line O2 is turned in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the first centerline O1. The direction of the second terminal portion 3 is set. In the (1) th to (4) th conductive connection portions 1, the second center lines O2 of the second terminal portions 3 are substantially parallel to each other. On the other hand, in the (5) -th conductive connection portion 1, the second terminal portion 3 is oriented so that the second center line O2 faces a slight angle counterclockwise with respect to the first center line O1. It has been decided.

  The operation of deforming each of the conductive connecting portions 1 is performed by holding a part of the plurality of connecting portions 4 or the first terminal portions 2 connected to each other via the connecting portions 9 with a jig, and using the holes 8a and 8b. It is performed by holding at least one place with a jig and moving the jig to a predetermined position. Thereby, while being able to set the space | interval and relative position of the 1st terminal part 2 and the 2nd terminal part 3 as designed, the space | interval of the 2nd terminal parts 3 can also be determined.

  Further, the hole 8c formed in the positioning fixing portion 6 sandwiched between the first deformable portion 5a and the second deformable portion 5b is held by a jig, and the position of the hole 8c becomes an appropriate position. As described above, by deforming the first deformable portion 5a and the second deformable portion 5b, the deformable portions 5a and 5b can be arranged at a distance necessary for insulation in the adjacent conductive connection portion 1. Become.

  3 and 4 show a state in which the conductive connection portion 1 deformed as shown in FIG. 2 is held by the support member 11.

  The support member 11 is formed in a three-dimensional shape using an insulating synthetic resin material, and a part of each conductive connection portion 1 is embedded in the support member 11.

  The step of holding the conductive connecting portion 1 on the support member 11 is a so-called insert molding method, and the conductive connecting portion 1 deformed into the shape shown in FIG. 2 is positioned and installed in the cavity of the mold for injection molding. Then, the molten resin is injected into the cavity to mold the support member 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, since the plurality of conductive connection portions 1 are embedded in the support member 11 while being connected via the connecting portion 9, the plurality of first terminal portions 2 are maintained in a parallel state and It is held by the support member 11 while maintaining the interval. The support member 11 is formed with holes 13 penetrating vertically at the portion where the connecting portion 9 is located, and each connecting portion 9 is exposed inside the hole 13. After the support member 11 is molded, the connecting portion 9 is cut in the hole 13 so that the plurality of conductive connection portions 1 are separated from each other so as not to be short-circuited.

  Since the connecting portion 9 is formed so as to connect the connecting portion 4 at a portion where the deformable portions 5a and 5b are not formed, each of the first portions even after the deformable portions 5a and 5b are deformed. The relative position between the terminal portion 2 and the connecting portion 9 does not change. Therefore, it becomes easy to position all the connecting portions 9 in the hole 13 of the support member 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plurality of first terminal portions 2 protrude from the end surface 11 a of the support member 11 while maintaining a parallel state. Further, in the portion where the second terminal portion 3 is embedded, a concave portion 12 that is recessed from the surface 11 b is formed in the support member 11, and a part of the second terminal portion 3 is exposed in the concave portion 12. Yes.

  When the conductive connection portion 1 deformed into the shape shown in FIG. 2 is installed in the cavity of the mold, at least one of the holes 8a, 8b, and 8c can be used for positioning in the mold. For example, by providing a pin-shaped insert projecting into the mold and inserting any one of the holes 8a, 8b, and 8c into the insert, each conductive connecting portion 1 can be positioned inside the mold. it can. In this state, the molten resin is injected into the cavity, and after the resin is hardened, the second terminal portion 3 of each conductive connection portion 1 can be positioned by the removal of the insert, and adjacent conductive connections It becomes possible to prevent a short circuit between the parts 1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, a hole portion 14 that becomes a trace of nesting remains in the support member 11 at a position where the holes 8 a, 8 b, and 8 c are positioned.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, switches 15 and 16 are installed as circuit elements on the surface 11 b of the support member 11. The three protruding terminals 15a of the switch 15 are inserted into the recess 12 and soldered to the second terminal portions 3 of the conductive connection portions 1 in the rows (1), (2), and (3). The two protruding terminals 16a of the switch 16 are inserted into the recesses 12 and soldered to the second terminal portions 3 of the conductive connection portions 1 in rows (4) and (5).

  In the connection device 110 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the five conductive connection portions 101 includes a first terminal portion 2, a second terminal portion 3, and a connecting portion 4. have. A deforming portion 5 is provided in the connecting portion 4. The deformable portion 5 is formed continuously without having the positioning and fixing portion 6 shown in FIG.

  The second terminal portion 3 and the connecting portion 4 have the same width dimension W2. In the deformable portion 5, the first slit 107 a from one edge portion of the connecting portion 4 and the second slit 107 b from the other edge portion, the first center line O 1 and the second center line O 2 in the width direction. It is formed in the direction orthogonal to. The first slits 107a and the second slits 107b are alternately formed in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of bent portions 107 are formed. Thereby, the number of the bending parts 107 in the deformation | transformation part 5 is larger than the conduction | electrical_connection connection part 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the dimension which the deformation | transformation part 5 can extend and deform | transform is long.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the relative positions of the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 can be freely determined in each conductive connection portion 101. Also in the conductive connection part 101 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, by forming a hole or a recess for positioning or applying a deformation force on at least one of both sides sandwiching the deformation part 5, The position can be easily set, and the position of the second terminal portion 3 can be set with high accuracy inside the mold during insert molding.

  The connection device 210 according to the third embodiment includes a conduction connection unit 201 illustrated in FIG. In the conductive connection portion 201, the first center line O1 of the first terminal portion 2 and the second center line O2 of the second terminal portion 3 are not located on the common center line, and are not deformed. In the initial state, the first center line O1 and the second center line O2 are arranged in parallel to each other and spaced from each other in the Y direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the center lines O1 and O2.

  A deforming portion 205 is formed in a part of the connecting portion 4, and a plurality of bent portions 207 are formed in the deforming portion 205. In the bent portion 207, first slits 207d extending in the X direction and second slits 207e extending in the opposite direction are alternately formed in the Y direction, and the band plate 207a is directed in the X direction. Further, the first bent portion 207b and the second bent portion 207c are bent.

  The conductive connection portion 201 can be punched out from a metal plate having a short dimension in the X direction. And the relative position of the 1st terminal part 2 and the 2nd terminal part 3 can be freely set towards X direction and a Y direction by carrying out plastic deformation of the deformation | transformation part 205. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, by forming a hole 208a in the first terminal part 2 and forming a hole 208b in the second terminal part 3, the first terminal part 2 and the second terminal part 3 It becomes easy to give an external force and it becomes easy to position.

The connection device 310 according to the fourth embodiment includes a conduction connection portion 301 illustrated in FIG.
In the conductive connection part 301, a connecting part 4 is provided between the first terminal part 2 and the second terminal part 3, and a plurality of deforming parts 305 are provided in the connecting part 4. The deformable portion 305 has a bent portion 307 provided with a first bent portion 307a and a second bent portion 307b that are opposite to each other.

  When the distance between the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 is increased, the bent portion 307 is stretched and deformed so that the curvature thereof is reduced, and the distance between the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 is increased. Can be changed.

  Further, by forming a hole 308a for positioning or applying a deformation force to the first terminal portion 2 and forming a hole 308b in the second terminal portion 3, it becomes easy to apply the deformation force, and after the deformation. It becomes easy to position the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support member that supports the conductive connection portion of each of the embodiments is not limited to the one formed by insert molding using a synthetic resin. For example, an insulating substrate may be used, and the conductive connection portion may be fixed to the surface of the insulating substrate. In this case, it is preferable to position and fix the conductive connection portion on the surface of the substrate using a hole or a recess provided in the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, or the like.

  Or it is also possible to connect a conduction | electrical_connection connection part directly to circuit elements, such as a switch, without making a support member support.

  In addition, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are not limited to those soldered to the circuit element. For example, a connection terminal having a clip structure is provided on the circuit element side, and the first terminal portion and the second terminal are provided. The portion may be inserted into a connection terminal having a clip structure and held elastically. Further, the first terminal portion or the second terminal portion and the circuit element side may be joined by a caulking structure or a crimping structure.

  In each said embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, after the deformation | transformation parts 5a and 5b deform | transform, each surface of the 1st terminal part 2 and the 2nd terminal part 3 is located on the same plane. However, the deformed portions 5a and 5b may be deformed in a direction perpendicular to the plane, and the first terminal portion 2 and the second terminal portion 3 after deformation may be positioned on different planes.

  Or the deformation | transformation part 5a, 5b may be deform | transformed so that it may twist, and the surface of the 1st terminal part 1 and the surface of the 2nd terminal part 3 may be located on the plane which mutually cross | intersects after a deformation | transformation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive connection part 2 1st terminal part 3 2nd terminal part 4 Connection part 5 Deformation part 5a 1st deformation part 5b 2nd deformation part 6 Positioning fixing part 7 Bending part 8a, 8b, 8c Hole 9 Connection part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Connection apparatus 11 Support member 15,16 Switch 101 Conduction connection part 107 Bending part 110 Connection apparatus 201 Conduction connection part 205 Deformation part 207 Bending part 210 Connection apparatus 301 Conduction connection part 305 Deformation part 307 Bending part 310 Connection apparatus

Claims (10)

The first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion that connects the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are integrally formed of a conductive metal plate,
A connecting device, wherein at least a part of the connecting portion is formed with a deformable portion that can be deformed so as to widen a distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion and keeps the deformed state. .   The connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the deformable portion has a bent portion capable of plastic deformation.   Before the deformation portion is deformed, a first center line that bisects the first terminal portion in the width direction and a second center line that bisects the second terminal portion in the width direction are linear. The distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is set in any direction between the direction along the common center line and the direction crossing the common center line. However, the connecting device according to claim 1 or 2, which can be widened.   Before the deforming portion is deformed, the first center line that bisects the first terminal portion in the width direction and the second center line that bisects the second terminal portion in the width direction are the same. The distance between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is not linear, and the parallel state between the first center line and the second center line is maintained. The connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting device can be expanded in any direction.   The connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a hole or a recess for positioning or applying a deformation force is provided in at least one of the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion.   The connection device according to claim 1, wherein a hole or a recess for positioning or for applying a deformation force is provided between the deformation portion and the deformation portion.   The first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion having the deformable portion constitute one conductive connection portion, and through a plurality of connection portions that can be disconnected. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein the connection devices are connected together.   The connection device according to claim 7, wherein the connection device can be deformed so as to widen at least one of an interval between the first terminal portions and an interval between the second terminal portions.   The connection device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a plurality of the conductive connection portions are held by an insulating support member in a state where the connection portions are cut. The first terminal portion, the second terminal portion, and the connecting portion that connects the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are integrally formed of a conductive metal plate, and at least the connecting portion Using a connection device with a deformed part formed in part,
The deformation portion is deformed to widen the distance between the first terminal portion and the first terminal portion from the initial state, and the relative position between the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion is changed from the initial state. A connection method comprising changing the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion to a circuit element.

Images