JP2018206567A - Connector device for substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a connector device for a substrate capable of omitting a seal structure between a connector part and a case without requiring a complicated mold structure.SOLUTION: A connector device 10 for a substrate includes: a case 20 in which a circuit board 90 is housed and which is opened to the outside, integrally has a hood-shaped connector part 22 capable of being fitted to a mating housing 70 and also has a partition part 25 for partitioning an assembling space 24 communicated with the inside of the connector part 22 in the inside thereof; a terminal metal fitting 60 having a substrate connection part 66 and a mating connection part 64; and a block part 40 in which a part of the mating connection part 64 of the terminal metal fitting 60 is surrounded with a resin and retained, and which is assembled to the assembling space 24 and positioned and retained by the partition part 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a board connector device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a board connector device that includes a board connector and a case body and constitutes an electronic control unit (ECU). This includes a case main body that accommodates a circuit board, and a board connector that is provided on a side wall of the case main body and is connected to the circuit board. The board connector has a hood-like connector portion, and a terminal fitting is held through the back wall of the connector portion. A mating female connector can be fitted into the connector portion, and the terminal temporary fitting is electrically connected to the mating female terminal fitting when the connector is fitted. At the time of molding, the connector portion and the terminal fitting are set as a core in a set of molding dies, and the case body is formed by insert molding in that state.

Japanese Patent No. 4007137

  According to the above configuration, since a substantial gap is not formed between the board connector and the case main body, the board connector and the case main body can be kept liquid-tight. However, there is a concern that the mold structure becomes complicated due to the insert molding. On the other hand, it is possible to form the board connector and the case body separately and to assemble the board connector to the case body. In that case, a separate seal is provided between the case body and the board connector. It is necessary to provide a structure, which may lead to a complicated structure and an increased number of parts.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and does not require a complicated mold structure, and can eliminate the sealing structure between the connector portion and the case. The purpose is to provide.

  The board connector device of the present invention accommodates a circuit board, and has a hood-like connector part that is open to the outside and can be fitted to a mating housing, and is an assembly space that communicates with the connector part. And a mating connection portion that protrudes into the connector portion and is connected to a mating terminal fitting provided in the mating housing. A terminal fitting having an intermediate portion between the board connection portion and the mating connection portion, and enclosing the intermediate portion with resin to hold the terminal fitting, and in the assembly space And a block part that is assembled and positioned and held by the partition part.

  Since the connector portion is formed integrally with the case, a seal structure between the connector portion and the case can be omitted. In addition, the block that holds the terminal fittings is assembled in the assembly space of the case and is positioned and held by the partition part, so that it can function as a board connector with a relatively simple mold structure without insert molding. Can be built.

It is sectional drawing of the board | substrate connector apparatus in Example 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the connector apparatus for boards. It is sectional drawing of a case. It is sectional drawing of the division | segmentation block part with a some terminal metal fitting. It is sectional drawing of a block part with a terminal metal fitting. It is a front view of a block part with a terminal metal fitting. It is a side view of the division | segmentation block part with an uppermost terminal metal fitting. It is a front view of the division | segmentation block part with a terminal metal fitting of the uppermost stage. It is a side view of the division | segmentation block part with a terminal metal fitting of a middle stage. It is a front view of the division | segmentation block part with a terminal metal fitting of a middle stage. It is a front view of the terminal metal fitting before a bending process.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
The terminal fitting is a press-fit terminal in which the board connection portion is inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board and is elastically connected to the circuit board, and the intermediate portion and the board connection portion It is good to have a bending part in between, and the said block part has a pressing part which covers the said bending part from the opposite side to the side in which the said circuit board is located. When the terminal fitting is a press-fit terminal, when the board connection part is inserted into the through-hole, the bent part may be deformed by receiving an insertion reaction force from the circuit board side. Since the pressing portion of the block portion covers the bent portion from the side opposite to the circuit board side, the bent portion can be prevented from being deformed. In particular, the above configuration has a great merit when the terminal metal fitting becomes thinner due to the multipolarization and it is difficult to ensure the strength of the terminal fitting.

  The terminal fitting has a bent part between the intermediate part and the board connecting part, and is arranged in a plurality of stages in a height direction which is an extending direction of the board connecting part. It is good to consist of the division | segmentation block part which is divided | segmented into plurality by making the said terminal metal fitting of a 1 step | paragraph or multiple steps into a plurality, and is each piled up in the said height direction. When the terminal fitting has a bent portion and is arranged in a plurality of stages in the height direction which is the extending direction of the board connecting portion, it is difficult to hold the terminal fittings in an integral block portion. In that regard, according to the above configuration, since the block portion is composed of a divided block portion that is divided into a plurality of one-stage or multiple-stage terminal fittings, each terminal fitting can be held for each divided block portion, It can cope with multipolarization. In particular, even in the case of multi-poles, the bent portions can be formed by bending each terminal fitting after it is held by the divided block portion.

  The terminal fitting is a press-fit terminal in which the board connecting portion is inserted into a through-hole provided in the circuit board and is elastically held by the circuit board. When one of them is located farther from the circuit board than the other, the one divided block portion has a protrusion protruding toward the circuit board, and the protruding front end surface of the protrusion is A pressing portion that covers the bent portion of the other block portion from the side opposite to the side on which the circuit board is located, and one side surface substantially along the height direction of the protruding portion is located on an end surface of the other block portion. It is good to become a position shift regulation part which is arranged along and regulates the position shift of the one and the other divided block parts from each other. According to this, the protrusion provided in the divided block portion has a function of preventing the bent portion from being deformed when subjected to the insertion reaction force of the press-fit terminal, and the mutual relationship between the divided block portions in the stacked state. Since it also has a function of regulating the positional deviation, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated portion corresponding to each function, and the structure can be simplified. Further, a simple structure in which the protrusion itself protrudes toward the circuit board can be used.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The board connector device 10 according to the first embodiment exemplifies an electronic control unit (ECU), and includes a case 20 made of synthetic resin.

  The case 20 is formed in a box shape with an open lower surface in the figure. As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic component such as a capacitor 80 and a circuit board 90 (printed circuit board) are accommodated in the case 20, and a cover (not shown) is covered on the lower surface opening.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the side wall 21 of the case 20 (specifically, one of the walls surrounding the four sides) has a hood-like shape protruding forward (to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3). The connector part 22 is provided integrally. The inside of the connector portion 22 is a fitting space 23 that opens forward. The mating housing 70 is fitted into the fitting space 23 of the connector portion 22 from the front. The mating housing 70 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed in a block shape that can be fitted in the fitting space 23 of the connector portion 22 as shown in FIG. A plurality of mating terminal fittings 75 are accommodated in the mating housing 70. Each mating terminal fitting 75 is a female terminal fitting, and is connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire W.

  An assembly space 24 is provided in the case 20 on the side opposite to the connector portion 22 with the side wall 21 in between. The assembly space 24 is partitioned by a partitioning portion 25. The partition portion 25 has an opening frame portion 26 that opens to the side wall 21 of the case 20 with an opening diameter smaller than the fitting space 23, and the upper wall 28 of the case 20 at a position away from the upper portion 27 of the opening frame portion 26. A rib-like stopper 29 is provided on the inner surface so as to extend in the left-right direction (the thickness direction in FIG. 3). The opening frame portion 26 is connected to the peripheral wall portion of the connector portion 22 in a stepped manner, and the upper portion 27 is configured to be thicker than the lower portion 31. Note that the lower portion 31 of the opening frame portion 26 has the same thickness as the peripheral region of the side wall 21. The assembly space 24 communicates with the fitting space 23 of the connector portion 22 through the opening frame portion 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a mounting portion 32 for assembling a capacitor 80 is provided on the inner surface of the upper wall 28 of the case 20 on the end opposite to the connector portion 22. The circuit board 90 is accommodated in a lower space in the case 20 below the assembly space 24, and the terminal 81 of the capacitor 80 is connected thereto.

  A synthetic resin block 40 is inserted into the assembly space 24 of the case 20. The block portion 40 is positioned and held by the mounting portion 32 in a state of being inserted into the assembly space 24. In the case of the present Example 1, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the block part 40 is comprised by the some division | segmentation block part 41 laminated | stacked on an up-down direction (height direction). Specifically, the block part 40 is composed of five divided upper and lower divided block parts 41 for each stage of each terminal fitting 60 to be mounted.

  Each divided block portion 41 has a flat block-like block main body portion 42 extending long in the left-right direction as a common structure.

  When the front surface of the block main body portion 42 of each divided block portion 41 is aligned at the same position in the front and rear, among the divided block portions 41 that are adjacent in the vertical direction, those that are relatively upper (on the side far from the circuit board 90) In the following description, one of the divided block portions 41 is hereinafter referred to as a relatively lower portion (on the side closer to the circuit board 90 and hereinafter referred to as the other divided block portion 41). Each division block part 41 is piled up in steps so that it may protrude.

  As shown in FIG. 6, each divided block portion 41 has a pair of stacked fitting portions 43 that project from both left and right end portions of the block main body portion 42. The stacking fitting portion 43 has a rib shape extending from a position near the front end of the block main body portion 42 to the rear end (see FIGS. 7 and 9), and is formed on the lower surface (the surface facing the circuit board 90) on the front and rear sides. A fitting groove 44 having a cross-sectional arc shape (specifically, a semicircular cross-sectional shape) extending in the direction is provided. Further, the stacking fitting portion 43 has a fitting rib 45 having a cross-sectional arc shape (specifically, a semicircular cross-sectional shape) extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface except for the uppermost divided block portion 41U. . The divided block portions 41 in the stacked state are displaced from each other in the left-right direction by fitting the fitting ribs 45 of the other divided block portion 41 into the fitting grooves 44 of the one divided block portion 41. Are now regulated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each divided block portion 41 has a protruding portion 46 that protrudes downward (circuit board 90 side) from the rear end of the block main body portion 42 except for the lowermost divided block portion 41L. doing. The protrusion 46 has a prismatic shape extending in the left-right direction, the lower surface (projecting tip surface) is a flat pressing portion 47 along the front-rear direction, and the front surface (one side surface along the height direction) is the vertical direction. The position deviation restricting portion 48 is cut along the line. The protrusion 46 provided on the one divided block portion 41 is a protrusion corresponding to the height dimension of the upper region of the rear surface of the block main body 42 of the other divided block portion 41 from the opening of the terminal mounting hole 49 described later. Have dimensions. Moreover, the protrusion 46 is extended over the full width of the left-right direction so that the lower surface of the block main-body part 42 may be followed, as shown in FIG.8 and FIG.10. Note that the functions of the pressing portion 47 and the positional deviation restricting portion 48 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the uppermost divided block portion 41 </ b> U has a rib-like engagement protrusion 51 extending over the entire width in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the block main body portion 42. As shown in FIG. 1, the front surface of the engaging protrusion 51 can engage with the upper portion 27 of the opening frame portion 26.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the lowermost divided block portion 41 </ b> L has a groove-like engagement recess 52 that extends across the entire width in the left-right direction at the front end of the lower surface of the block main body portion 42. The engaging recess 52 is cut out at the front lower corner of the block main body 42 so as to have an L-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower portion 31 of the opening frame portion 26 can be fitted into the engaging recess 52.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the middle divided block portion 41 </ b> M has a squeeze preventing portion 53 that largely protrudes forward from the front surface of the block main body portion 42. The twist prevention unit 53 has a plate-like shape and is arranged side by side with different sizes on both the left and right sides of the block main body 42. As shown in FIG. 1, the kink preventing portion 53 is disposed so as to protrude into the fitting space 23 of the connector portion 22 when the block portion 40 is assembled to the case 20. When the mating housing 70 is to be fitted into the mating space 23 of the connector portion 22 in an oblique posture, the kink preventing portion 53 abuts against the wall surface of the mating housing 70 and stops further mating operations. The terminal fitting 60 can be prevented from being twisted. On the other hand, when the mating housing 70 is in the proper fitting posture, the kink preventing portion 53 is inserted into the receiving portion 76 provided in the mating housing 70 in a fitted state.

  In the block main body portion 42 of each divided block portion 41, a plurality of terminal mounting holes 49 are opened side by side at a constant pitch. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal fitting 60 is press-fitted and attached to each terminal mounting hole 49.

  The terminal fitting 60 is made of a conductive metal and is referred to as a so-called press-fit terminal, and has a rectangular bar shape extending as a whole. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal fitting 60 is L-shaped in a side view, and has a horizontal portion 61 extending substantially in the front-rear direction, a vertical portion 62 extending substantially in the vertical direction, and the horizontal portion 61 and the vertical portion. And a bent portion 63 positioned between the first and second members 62. The bent portion 63 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate and then bending it. For this reason, the terminal metal fitting 60 takes the linear form shown in FIG. 11 before bending.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a mating connection portion 64 is provided on one end side of the terminal fitting 60. The mating connection portion 64 is disposed at the front portion of the horizontal portion 61 after bending, and protrudes into the connector portion 22 to be connected to the mating terminal fitting 75. On the other end side of the terminal fitting 60, a board connecting portion 66 having an elastic contact portion 65 that bulges out in an arc shape to the left and right sides is provided. The board connecting part 66 constitutes a vertical part 62, and the elastic contact part 65 is elastically inserted into a through hole 91 provided in the circuit board 90. The elastic contact portion 65 is pressed against the inner periphery of the through hole 91 by its elastic force, and is electrically connected to the contact portion of the through hole 91.

  An intermediate portion 68 having press-fitting protrusions 67 projecting to the left and right sides is provided at a position near one end of the terminal fitting 60 and between the mating connection portion 64 and the board connection portion 66 (bending portion 63). As shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate portion 68 is a portion surrounded by the resin of the block main body portion 42 and is arranged at the rear portion of the horizontal portion 61, and the press-fitting protrusion 67 is formed in the terminal mounting hole 49 of the block main body portion 42. By biting into the inner wall, the terminal mounting hole 49 is locked in a penetrating state. A portion of the horizontal portion 61 of the terminal fitting 60 that is slightly exposed rearward from the rear surface of the block main body portion 42 is a shoulder portion 69 that is continuous with the bent portion 63.

Next, an assembling method and effects of the board connector device 10 of the first embodiment will be described.
Each terminal fitting 60 is mounted by press-fitting into the terminal mounting hole 49 of the corresponding divided block portion 41 from behind. In this case, a long terminal fitting 60 is attached to one divided block portion 41 relative to the other divided block portion 41. The intermediate portion 68 of each terminal fitting 60 is held in a state of being surrounded by the resin of the block main body portion 42 by the press-fitting protrusion 67 being bitten and locked into the inner wall of the terminal mounting hole 49. Subsequently, a portion of each terminal fitting 60 that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the block main body portion 42 is bent downward to form a bent portion 63 and a vertical portion 62 (see FIG. 4). At this time, a jig for forming a bent portion (not shown) is supported on the shoulder 69 of each terminal fitting 60, but each terminal fitting 60 is only mounted side by side on each divided block portion 41. Therefore, the jig can be installed without hindrance.

  Subsequently, the divided block portions 41 are stacked in the vertical direction (see FIG. 5). At this time, of the adjacent divided block portions 41, the positional deviation restricting portion 48 of the protrusion 46 provided on one divided block portion 41 abuts along the rear surface of the block main body portion 42 of the other divided block portion 41. Arranged as possible. Thereby, it is regulated that one divided block part 41 is displaced forward with respect to the other divided block part 41. In addition, the pressing portion 47 of the projection 46 provided on one divided block portion 41 is disposed along the shoulder 69 of each terminal fitting 60 mounted on the other divided block portion 41 and the bent portion 63 is positioned upward. It arrange | positions so that it may cover from (the side opposite to the side in which the circuit board 90 is located).

  By the above, the operator can handle each divided block portion 41 as an integrated block portion 40 in a detachment restricted state, and can be assembled in the assembly space 24 of the case 20 while holding the block portion 40. Specifically, the block portion 40 is inserted into the assembly space 24 through the lower surface opening of the case 20, and is gradually rotated from the obliquely upward posture to the horizontal posture in the course of the insertion operation. Thus, the block portion 40 properly assembled in the assembly space 24 has the engagement protrusion 51 abutting on the upper portion 27 of the opening frame portion 26 and the engagement recess 52 abutting on the lower portion 31 of the opening frame portion 26, In addition, the rear surface of the uppermost divided block portion 41U abuts against the stopper portion 29, so that the upper portion of the divided block portion 41U is held in a substantially press-fitted state in the mounting portion 32 (see FIG. 1). Further, the front end portion of the block portion 40 is inserted into the opening frame portion 26 in a close fitting state, and the front surface thereof is substantially flush with the outer surface of the side wall 21 so as to face the fitting space 23.

  Further, when the block portion 40 is properly assembled in the assembly space 24, the mating connection portion 64 of each terminal fitting 60 protrudes forward in the fitting space 23, and the board connection portion of each terminal fitting 60 66 is disposed to protrude downward in the case 20.

  Subsequently, the circuit board 90 is inserted into the case 20 through the lower surface opening of the case 20, and the elastic contact portions 65 of the board connection portions 66 of the terminal fittings 60 are inserted into the through holes 91. At this time, although the insertion reaction force from the elastic contact portion 65 acts on the bending portion 63, the bending portion 63 is deformed by the pressing portion 47 of the protrusion 46 contacting the bending portion 63. There is no.

  Further, for each terminal fitting 60 attached to the uppermost divided block portion 41U, the flat lower surface (protruding tip surface) of the stopper portion 29 exhibits the same function as the pressing portion 47. That is, it is possible to prevent the bent portion 63 from being deformed by the lower surface of the stopper portion 29 covering the bent portion 63 of each terminal metal fitting 60 so as to come into contact (see FIG. 1). Thereafter, the mating housing 70 is fitted into the fitting space 23 of the connector portion 22, and each terminal fitting 60 is electrically connected to the corresponding mating terminal fitting 75.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the connector portion 22 is formed integrally with the case 20, the seal structure between the connector portion 22 and the case 20 can be omitted. Further, since the block portion 40 for holding the terminal fitting 60 is assembled in the assembly space 24 of the case 20 and is positioned and held by the partition portion 25, the substrate structure can be used with a relatively simple mold structure without insert molding. A part that functions as a connector can be constructed.

  Each terminal fitting 60 is arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction (height direction) which is the extending direction of the board connecting portion 66, and one of the terminal fittings 60 in which the block portion 40 is arranged in a plurality of stages. Each terminal fitting 60 is divided into a plurality of sets as a set, and each of the terminal fittings 60 can be attached to the divided block portion 41 step by step by being divided into a plurality of blocks and stacked in the vertical direction. It is possible to cope with a situation in which it is difficult to attach the terminal fittings 60 to the block portion 40 due to a narrow pitch or the like. In addition, in the case of the first embodiment, the bent portions 63 can be formed by holding each terminal fitting 60 on the divided block portion 41 and then bending it.

  Further, the terminal fitting 60 is a press-fit terminal in which the board connecting portion 66 is inserted into a through hole 91 provided in the circuit board 90 and is elastically connected to the circuit board 90, and the intermediate portion 68, the board connecting portion 66, And the block portion 40 has a pressing portion 47 that covers the bending portion 63 from the side opposite to the side where the circuit board 90 is located (the upper side in the drawing). It is possible to prevent the bent portion 63 from being deformed by the attachment.

  In particular, the pressing portion 47 is configured on the lower surface (protruding tip surface) of the protrusion 46, and the front surface (one side surface along the height direction) of the protrusion 46 regulates the mutual displacement of the adjacent divided block portions 41. Since it functions as the misregistration restricting portion 48, the misalignment preventing function and the deformation preventing function can be integrated into the protrusion 46 formed relatively easily, and the structure can be simplified.

<Other embodiments>
Another embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described.
(1) The block part may be configured to be assembled in the assembly space of the case and positioned and held by the partition part in a state where the block part is not divided and formed as a whole.
(2) The divided block portion may be formed as a set of a plurality of stages of terminal fittings.
(3) The terminal fitting may be attached to the corresponding divided block portion by an insert.
(4) The bent portion of the terminal fitting may be previously bent before being attached to the divided block portion.
(5) A lock structure that locks the adjacent divided block portions to each other may be provided, and each divided block portion may be reliably held in the disengagement restricted state before being assembled into the assembly space.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Board connector apparatus 20 ... Case 22 ... Connector part 23 ... Fitting space 24 ... Assembly space 25 ... Partition part 40 ... Block part 41 ... Divided block part 46 ... Projection part 47 ... Pressing part 48 ... Position shift control part 60 ... Terminal metal fitting 63 ... Bent part 64 ... Mating connection part 66 ... Substrate connection part 68 ... Intermediate part 70 ... Mating housing 75 ... Mating terminal metal fitting 90 ... Circuit board 91 ... Through hole

Claims (4)

A circuit board is accommodated, and has a hood-like connector portion that is open to the outside and can be fitted with a mating housing, and has a partition portion that defines an assembly space that communicates with the connector portion on the inside. Case and
A board connecting part connected to the circuit board; a mating connecting part protruding into the connector part and connected to a mating terminal fitting provided on the mating housing; and the board connecting part and the mating part A terminal fitting having an intermediate part between the connection part and
A board connector comprising: a block portion that surrounds the intermediate portion with resin to hold the terminal fitting, and is assembled to the assembly space and positioned and held by the partition portion. apparatus. The terminal fitting is a press-fit terminal in which the board connection portion is inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board and is elastically connected to the circuit board, and the intermediate portion and the board connection portion With a bend in between,
The board connector device according to claim 1, wherein the block part includes a pressing part that covers the bent part from a side opposite to a side where the circuit board is located. The terminal fitting has a bent part between the intermediate part and the board connecting part, and is arranged in a plurality of stages in the height direction which is the extending direction of the board connecting part,
3. The board connector according to claim 1, wherein the block part includes a divided block part that is divided into a plurality of terminal fittings of one or more stages and is stacked in the height direction. apparatus. The terminal fitting is a press-fit terminal in which the board connecting portion is inserted into a through hole provided in the circuit board and elastically held on the circuit board,
When one of the divided block portions adjacent in the height direction is located farther from the circuit board than the other,
The one divided block portion has a protrusion protruding to the circuit board side,
The protruding front end surface of the protruding portion serves as a pressing portion that covers the bent portion of the other block portion from the side opposite to the side where the circuit board is located.
One side surface substantially along the height direction of the protrusion is disposed along an end surface of the other block portion, and a displacement control that restricts the displacement of the one and the other divided block portions from each other. The board connector device according to claim 3, which becomes a part.

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