JP3499477B2 - Electrical junction box - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connection box in which connection between a connector tab terminal and a copper foil of a flexible printed circuit is devised.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric junction box used for branching and connecting a wire harness for an automobile to various electric components has a branch connecting point concentrated at one place to branch and connect wiring reasonably and economically. With the increasing density of wire harnesses, various types have been developed depending on the vehicle type or application.

As shown in FIG. 8, the electric connection box as described above has a plurality of locking claws 1b formed on the peripheral wall portion 1a of the lower case 1 and the peripheral wall portion 2a of the upper case 2
A lock recess 2b corresponding to the lock claw 1b is formed, and an insulating plate 4 having a conductor circuit formed by a bus bar 3 and the like is housed in each of the cases 1 and 2, and the lower case 1 is covered with the upper case 2 so that each lock claw is formed. There is a case in which the cases 1 and 2 are locked to each other by engaging the lock recesses 2b with the 1b.

The upper case 2 (similarly to the lower case 1) is integrally formed with a hood portion 2d of a connector housing 2c and a terminal insertion portion (not specifically shown), and the both cases 1 and 2 are closed. At this time, the tab terminal 3a bent and formed on the bus bar 3 is inserted through the terminal insertion portion to face the inside of the hood portion 2d.

In the above structure, the bus bar 3 has tab terminals 3a.
Since it is formed by bending, the bending position of the tab terminal 3a is restricted, and the degree of freedom in circuit design is reduced.

For this reason, the tab terminal 3 which is a separate member is attached to the bus bar 3.
It has been proposed to solder a.

On the other hand, from the viewpoint of reducing the size and weight of the electrical junction box, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) may be used instead of the bus bar as described above, and a separate tab terminal may be soldered to the copper foil pattern circuit. Proposed.

[0008]

However, if the tab terminals are soldered, cracks may occur due to heat cycles or the like when the tab terminals are mounted on an actual vehicle, making it difficult to obtain reliable electrical connection for a long period of time.

In the case of a flexible printed circuit,
Since soldering is performed in the flow process, the number of assembling steps and the flow process are increased in consideration of the lower case 1 and the upper case 2. Furthermore, when the flexible printed circuits are stacked, the height of the tab terminal is raised or lowered,
In order to make the heights uniform, a plurality of types of tab terminals having different heights are required, which makes parts management cumbersome and costly.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has a high reliability of electrical connection, a reduced number of assembling steps, and a cost-effective connector tab terminal and flexible printed circuit. It is intended to provide an electric connection box which is devised for connection with a copper foil.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an internal case of a lower case and an upper case.
In an electric connection box in which a flexible printed circuit having a copper foil pattern circuit formed thereon is held and held by a holding plate, a contact portion in which the exposed copper foil is bent in the thickness direction of the holding plate in the flexible printed circuit. And a holding groove is formed on the holding plate, and a holding groove capable of holding a contact portion of the flexible printed circuit is formed on an inner peripheral wall of the holding plate. A hood portion of the connector housing and a terminal holding portion are provided separately, a through hole through which the hood portion penetrates is formed in the case, and a tongue-shaped spring contact portion is formed in the terminal holding portion. An insertion hole capable of inserting and holding the tab portion of the tab terminal is formed, and together with the connector housing, the tongue-shaped spring contact portion of the tab terminal is formed in The connector housing should be elastically contacted with the contact point of the flexible printed circuit while being inserted into the holding groove to lock the connector housing to the holding plate, and then the hood portion of the connector housing should be inserted into the through hole while closing the case. The present invention provides an electric connection box characterized by:

According to the present invention, a flexible printed circuit is provided with a contact portion formed by bending a copper foil, and the contact portion is held by the holding groove of the recess of the holding plate, while the connector housing and the tab terminal tongue shape are held together. Insert the spring contact part into the holding groove of the recess of the holding plate to elastically contact the contact part of the flexible printed circuit, lock the connector housing to the holding plate, and then close the case and insert the hood part of the connector housing into the through hole. Make it penetrate.

[0013]

According to a second aspect of the present invention, two or more of the flexible printed circuits are laminated and each layer is formed so that the contact portion of any layer is inserted into each holding groove of the recess of the holding plate. The contact portions may be formed to be displaced.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that parts having the same configurations and functions as those of the conventional technique are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, laminated inside the lower case 1 and the upper case 2 of the electric junction box (five layers in this example).
Flexible printed circuit 6 (A to E) accommodated as
Are copper foil patterns each covered with an insulating sheet, and each flexible printed circuit 6 (A to E)
Each of the openings 6a has a rectangular shape, and
A contact formed by bending the copper foil exposed by peeling off the insulating sheet in the thickness direction (downward in FIG. 4) of the holding plate 7 described below at the inner edges of the openings 6a facing each other on the long side. Portions 6b to 6n are formed.

In the example of FIG. 4, a contact portion 6b is formed on the right inner edge of the flexible printed circuit 6A, and contact portions 6c, 6d, 6e are formed on the left inner edge thereof.
Similarly, a contact portion 6f is formed on the right inner edge of the flexible printed circuit 6B, and a contact portion 6g is formed on the left inner edge thereof, and a contact portion 6h is formed on the right inner edge of the flexible printed circuit 6C. 6 on the inner edge of the
i and 6j are formed, a contact portion 6k is formed on the right inner edge of the flexible printed circuit 6D, a contact portion 6l is formed on the left inner edge, and a contact is formed on the right inner edge of the flexible printed circuit 6E. A portion 6m and a contact portion 6n are formed on the left inner edge.

Then, the right side contact portions 6b, 6f, 6h,
6k, 6m and left contact points 6c, 6d, 6e, 6g, 6
i, 6j, 6l, 6n are formed at intervals so that they do not overlap each other on the same side. The interval does not necessarily have to be constant.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), inside the lower case 1 and the upper case 2, a holding plate (insulating plate) 7 for holding the laminated flexible printed circuits 6 (AE) on the upper surface is formed. Each flexible printed circuit 6 (A
To E), a rectangular concave portion 7a corresponding to the opening 6a is formed, and the inner peripheral walls facing each other on the long side of the concave portion 7a are
Insert the contact points 6b, 6f, 6h, 6k, 6m on the right side and the contact points 6c, 6d, 6e, 6g, 6i, 6j, 6l, 6n on the right side of the laminated flexible printed circuits 6 (A to E). The holding grooves 7b to 7n for holding each contact portion 6b
6n are formed at the same intervals as each other. The interval does not necessarily have to be constant.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, a tab terminal 15 made of a conductive metal material is provided, and a tab portion 15a of the tab terminal 15 has a tongue-like shape bent upward in a U-shape at a lower portion thereof. A spring contact portion 15b is formed, and a cover portion 15c is formed on each side of the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b and is bent laterally from a bottom portion 15g to cover both sides of the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b. . Note that the tab portion 15a is folded in two so as to ensure a tab thickness.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5,
On the upper surface of the upper case 2, a hood portion 2d of the connector housing 2c protruding inward and outward from the upper surface is integrally formed, and on a bottom portion 2e of the hood portion 2d, a terminal holding portion 2f protruding downward is integrally formed. There is.

The tab portion 15 of the tab terminal 15 is provided on the upper portion of the terminal holding portion 2f, that is, on the bottom portion 2e of the hood portion 2d.
A through hole 2g is formed so as to be exposed to the inside of the hood portion 2d, and a groove 2h for inserting and inserting the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b and the cover portion 15c is formed in the lower portion of the terminal holding portion 2f. The tab terminal 15 is provided on the vertical surface of the groove 2h.
Engaging with the lock hole 15f formed in the bottom portion 15g of the
A lock claw portion 2p for preventing the tab terminal 15 from coming off is formed. The groove 2h is the holding groove 7 of the holding plate 7.
They are formed at the positions corresponding to b to 7n, respectively.

Although not specifically shown, the lower case 1 side may have the same structure as the upper case 2 side.

With the above structure, as shown in FIG. 1, the tab portion 1 of the tab terminal 15 is inserted into the insertion hole 2g of the terminal holding portion 2f of the connector housing 2c from the opening side of the upper case 2.
When the 5a is inserted and held, the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b of the tab terminal 15 and the cover portion 15c are housed in the groove portion 2h.

Further, the flexible printed circuits 6 (AE) stacked on the upper surface of the holding plate 7 are held, and the bent contact portions 6 of the flexible printed circuits 6 (AE) are held.
Insert b to 6m into the holding grooves 7b to 7m of the concave portion 7a and hold them.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the holding plate 7
When the lower case 1 is supported by the lower case 1 and the lower case 1 is covered with the upper case 2 and locked, the upper surface of the holding plate 7 is sandwiched between the upper case 2 and the inner end of the connector housing 2c, and the vertical position is restricted. It will be in a state of being.

When the upper case 2 is covered and closed, the terminal holding portion 2f of the connector housing 2c is inserted into the recess 7a of the holding plate 7, and the tongue-shaped spring contact portions 15b of the tab terminals 15 are held by the holding plate. The flexible printed circuit 6 is inserted into the holding grooves 7b to 7n of the flexible printed circuit 6 respectively.
Each of the tab terminals 15 and the contact portions 6 is elastically contacted with the bent contact portions 6b to 6n of (A to E).
b to 6n are electrically connected.

In this way, by the operation of closing and locking the upper case 2 with respect to the lower case 1, the tongue-shaped spring contact portions 15b of the tab terminals 15 of the connector and the contact portions of the flexible printed circuits 6 (A to E). Since 6b to 6n are electrically connected, it is not necessary to solder the tab terminal to the copper foil pattern circuit of the flexible printed circuit 6 (A to E) as in the conventional case, so that the problem of crack generation is eliminated. As a result, long-term reliability of electrical connection can be obtained.

Further, the flexible printed circuit 6 (A to
In the case of E), it is possible to reduce the number of assembling steps and the flow process due to the soldering in the flow process, and to reduce the cost.

Further, the flexible printed circuit 6 (A
Even when the tab terminals 15a to E) are laminated, the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b of the tab terminal 15 has flexibility, so that the height of the tab portion 15a does not rise or fall. A plurality of different types of tab terminals are not required, and only one type of tab terminal 15 is sufficient, so that component management is simple and cost is low.

Also, the contact portions 6b to 6 of the copper foil pattern circuit.
n and the tongue-shaped spring contact portion 15b of each tab terminal 15 are connected to each other in a state where they are electrically isolated from each other by the holding grooves 7b to 7n of the holding plate 7, so that the respective contact portions 6b to 6b.
It is possible to prevent leakage between n.

As shown in FIG. 7, the hood portion 2d of the connector housing 2c and the terminal holding portion 2f are not integrally formed on the upper surface of the upper case 2, but only the through holes 2i through which the hood portion 2d penetrates are formed. On the other hand, a separate connector housing 2c in which the hood portion 2d and the terminal holding portion 2f are integrally formed is provided, and the locking claws 2j projecting downward from both lower sides of the terminal holding portion 2f are formed on the holding plate 7. The connector housing 2c may be locked to the holding plate 7 by engaging with the lock hole 7p.

While the holding plate 7 is housed inside the lower case 1 and the upper case 2, both cases 1 and 2 are held.
Is closed and locked, the hood portion 2d of the connector housing 2c penetrates the through hole 2i of the upper case 2,
It faces the outside of the upper case 2.

In the above embodiment, the holding plate 7 is provided separately, but the holding plate 7 is used as the lower case 1 (or the upper case 2).
It may be formed integrally with the.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a flexible printed circuit is provided with a contact portion formed by bending a copper foil, and the contact portion is held by the holding groove of the recess of the holding plate. While inserting the tongue-shaped spring contact part of the tab terminal together with the connector housing into the contact groove of the flexible printed circuit while inserting it into the retaining groove of the recess of the retaining plate, lock the connector housing to the retaining plate and then close the case. However, the hood portion of the connector housing is made to penetrate the through hole. This eliminates the need for soldering the tab terminal to the copper foil pattern circuit of the flexible printed circuit, eliminating the problem of cracking and providing long-term reliability of electrical connection. Further, in the case of a flexible printed circuit, the number of assembling steps and the flow process due to soldering in the flow process can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Even when the flexible printed circuits are laminated, the flexibility of the tongue-shaped spring contact portion of the tab terminal does not cause the height of the tab portion to rise or fall, so that only one type of tab terminal is required. Easy to manage and cheaper.
Furthermore, the contact portion of the copper foil pattern circuit and the tongue-shaped spring contact portion of the tab terminal are connected in a state where adjacent ones are electrically isolated from each other by the holding groove of the holding plate. Leakage between can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an essential part of an electric junction box of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the electrical junction box before covering the upper case.

FIG. 3 is a holding plate, FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a recess and a holding groove, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view in which a contact portion of a flexible printed circuit is inserted and held in the holding groove.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of stacked flexible printed circuits.

5A and 5B show the relationship between the terminal holding portion of the connector on the upper case side and the tab terminal, FIG. 5A is a perspective view before inserting and holding the tab terminal, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view after inserting and holding the tab terminal. It is a figure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tab terminal.

FIG. 7 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an electric junction box of a modified example,
(B) is a side sectional view of (a).

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional electric junction box.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 lower case 2 upper case 2c connector housing 2d hood section 2f terminal holder 2g insertion hole 6 (A to E) Flexible printed circuit (FPC) 6b to 6n contact part 7 holding plate 7b to 7n holding groove 15 tab terminals 15a tab part 15b Tongue-shaped spring contact portion

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-10-116660 (JP, A) JP-A-2000-83313 (JP, A) Actual exploitation Sho 52-115853 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02G 3/16 H01R 12/28

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Inside the lower case and the upper case,
In an electric connection box in which a flexible printed circuit having a copper foil pattern circuit formed thereon is held and held by a holding plate, a contact portion in which the exposed copper foil is bent in the thickness direction of the holding plate in the flexible printed circuit. together but formed a recess formed in the holding plate, while capable of holding the holding groove contact portions of the flexible printed circuit on the inner peripheral wall of the recess is formed, and the flexible printed circuit side of the case Separately, separate the connector housing
A case and a terminal holder are provided, and the case has a flap.
A through hole is formed through which the lead
A tab terminal tab with a tongue-shaped spring contact formed on the holding part.
The connector hole is formed so that the connector can be inserted and held.
Keep the tongue-shaped spring contact of the tab terminal together with the housing.
Insert the flexible print into the holding groove of the recess of the holding plate.
Connector housing by making elastic contact with the contact part of the
After locking the to the holding plate, close the case while
Insert the hood of the connector housing through the through hole.
Electrical junction box, characterized in that it has become. 2. The flexible printed circuit comprises two or more sheets.
The upper part is laminated, and in each holding groove of the concave part of the holding plate,
Insert the contact part of each layer so that the contact part of some layer is inserted.
The electrical junction box according to claim 1, which is formed by shifting .