JP6537100B2 - Multi-stage substrate connection structure and electrical connection box - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention adopts a multistage substrate connection structure for arranging at least a first substrate and a second substrate in a multistage manner at intervals in the thickness direction and electrically connecting the multistage substrate connection structure. It relates to the electrical connection box.

  As an electric device mounted in vehicles, such as a car, an electric connection box is mentioned, for example. The electrical connection box is known as a generic term for relay boxes, fuse boxes, junction blocks, electronic control unit boxes, power supply boxes and the like. Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique related to an electrical connection box. A brief description will be given below with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 5, inside the case 2 of the electrical connection box 1, the first printed circuit board 3 and the second printed circuit board 4 are arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the thickness direction. FIG. 5 shows the portion of the relay mounting portion 5 in the electrical connection box 1. A plurality of relays 6 are mounted on the relay mounting portion 5. Therefore, a plurality of conductive terminal fittings 7 are arranged side by side in the relay mounting portion 5. The terminal fitting 7 includes a terminal connection portion 9 for sandwiching and connecting the terminal 8 of the relay 6, a flat plate-like main body 10 in which the terminal connection portion 9 is continuous at the upper end, and a pair of press fits continuous in the lower end of the main body 10 And a terminal portion 11. The press-fit terminal portion 11 is formed to penetrate the first printed circuit board 3 and the second printed circuit board 4 so as to allow an electrical connection.

  In the portion of the relay mounting portion 5, the electrical connection between the first printed circuit board 3 and the second printed circuit board 4 is performed by at least the number of the terminal fittings 6. In other words, the first printed circuit board 3 and the second printed circuit board 4 are electrically connected to each other by penetration for several minutes of the pair of press-fit terminal portions 11.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2005-26052

  In the above-mentioned prior art, the electrical connection between the first printed circuit board 3 and the second printed circuit board 4 has a problem that the number of penetrating points of the terminal is large and the structure is not simple. Therefore, there is a concern that the quality of the electrical connection may deteriorate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is possible to reduce the number of penetrations of terminals and also to improve the quality of electrical connection, multistage substrate connection structure and electrical connection box And to provide.

The multi-stage substrate connection structure of the present invention according to claim 1 made to solve the above-mentioned problems comprises arranging at least a first substrate and a second substrate in multiple stages at intervals in the thickness direction and electrically In the multistage substrate connection structure for connection, the first substrate is provided with a metal male through terminal projecting from the first substrate, and the second substrate is a recess that is aligned with the male through terminal. The first substrate and the second substrate are bendable such that one end is electrically connected to the first substrate and the other end is electrically connected to the second substrate. When a flexible circuit is provided and the second substrate is made to face the terminal disposition surface of the first substrate so as to bend the flexible circuit, the male through terminal penetrates the terminal through portion to be electrically The male through terminal, the terminal through portion, and the And軟回path arranged forming further comprises a third substrate, the said third substrate, the third substrate terminal penetrating section including the mating indentations in the male-type feedthrough terminal provided, the first substrate or the For a bendable third substrate, one end of the second substrate and the third substrate is electrically connected to the first substrate or the second substrate and the other end is electrically connected to the third substrate When the flexible circuit is provided and the third substrate is made to face the second substrate so as to bend the flexible circuit for the third substrate, the male through terminal penetrating through the terminal through portion is the third substrate. The male through terminal, the terminal through portion, and the flexible circuit are disposed and formed in a state where they are also electrically connected to the through portion for the terminal, and the third through electrode terminal through portion and the third A flexible circuit for three substrates is disposed and formed .

According to the present invention having such characteristics, the first substrate and the first substrate are divided into an electrical connection by the metal male through terminal and the terminal through portion and an electrical connection by the bendable flexible circuit. Enable electrical connection with two substrates. This makes it possible to reduce the penetration points of the terminals. In addition, the structure can be simplified by reducing the number of penetrations of the terminals. Furthermore, the simple structure can also improve the quality of electrical connection.
Further, according to the present invention, the electric connection by the metal male through terminal and the terminal through portion for the third substrate and the electric connection by the flexible circuit for the third substrate which can be bent are divided. Therefore, even when the number of substrates is three, it is possible to reduce the number of penetrations of the terminals.
When the number of substrates needs to be four, the features of claim 1 may be applied. That is, “a fourth substrate is provided, and the fourth substrate is provided with a fourth substrate terminal through portion that is recessed corresponding to the male through terminal, and the first substrate or the second substrate, or the Three substrates and the fourth substrate have one end electrically connected to the first substrate or the second substrate or the third substrate, and the other end electrically connected to the fourth substrate By providing the fourth flexible circuit for the fourth substrate, and bending the fourth flexible circuit for the fourth substrate to make the fourth substrate face the third substrate, the terminal penetrating portion and the terminal for the third substrate The male through terminal, the terminal through portion, and the flexible circuit are disposed in a state where the male through terminal through the through portion is electrically connected to the fourth substrate terminal through portion. Forming the third substrate terminal penetrating portion and the third substrate flexible circuit Location formation, and, the said fourth board terminals through portion and the fourth substrate for flexible circuit may be an arrangement formed ".

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the multi-stage substrate connection structure according to the first aspect, the second substrate is provided with a female metallic terminal fitting having conductivity, and the female terminal fitting is provided with the female terminal fitting. A portion corresponding to the terminal penetration portion is formed.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, in order to allow the male through terminal of the first substrate to penetrate, a metallic female terminal fitting is adopted as a portion corresponding to the terminal through portion. And since this female terminal fitting is provided on the second substrate, the electrical connection can be stabilized. That is, it is possible to further improve the quality of electrical connection.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the multistage substrate connection structure according to the first or second aspect , the third substrate is provided with a female metal terminal fitting for a third substrate having conductivity, The three-substrate female terminal fitting is characterized in that a portion corresponding to the third-substrate terminal penetrating portion is formed.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, in order to allow the male through terminal of the first substrate to pass through, the female terminal fitting for metal third substrate is adopted as a portion corresponding to the terminal through portion for the third substrate. Do. And since this 3rd board | substrate female terminal metal fitting is provided in a 3rd board | substrate, it becomes possible to stabilize an electrical connection state. That is, it is possible to further improve the quality of electrical connection.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the multistage substrate connecting structure according to the first, second or third aspect, the male through terminal is formed as a plate-like power input portion.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, a male through terminal is used as the power supply input portion, and the remaining circuit is configured by the flexible circuit and the flexible circuit for the third substrate. This makes it possible to further reduce the penetration points of the terminal. Further, according to the present invention, since the male through terminals are formed in a band plate shape (bus bar shape), it goes without saying that the male through terminals can be easily penetrated even if a plurality of substrates are arranged in multiple stages. In addition, the contact surface can be enlarged to stabilize the connection.

The electrical connection box of the present invention according to claim 5 made to solve the above-mentioned problems comprises a plurality of substrates and a case for accommodating the plurality of substrates, and the plurality of substrates in the case The multistage substrate connection structure according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 is adopted in order to arrange in multiple stages and electrically connect.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, since it is an electrical connection box employing a multi-stage substrate connection structure, it is possible to arrange and electrically connect a plurality of substrates in multi-stage in this case. become.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least the electrical connection between the first substrate and the second substrate has an effect that the number of penetration points of the terminal can be reduced as compared with the conventional example. Further, according to the present invention, the structure can be simplified by reducing the number of penetrations of the terminal, and as a result, the electrical connection quality can be improved.
Further, according to the present invention, three or more substrates are disposed in multiple stages, and it is possible to reduce the number of penetrations of the terminal.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the electrical connection state can be stabilized, and as a result, the connection quality can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the electrical connection state can be stabilized, and as a result, the connection quality can be further improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the connection can be performed separately for the power supply input and the other, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the penetration portion of the terminal to the part of the power supply input. Further, according to the present invention, it is also possible to facilitate the penetration of the male through terminal and to stabilize the connection state.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since it is an electrical connection box employing the multistage substrate connection structure according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect , a plurality of substrates can be provided in this case. The effect of being able to be arranged in multiple stages and electrically connected can be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an expansion perspective view which shows the multistage board | substrate connection structure of this invention, and the principal part of an electrical connection box (Example 1). It is an expanded view which shows the state before the completion of the electrical connection by the multistage board | substrate connection structure of FIG. 1 (Example 1). It is a block diagram which shows a part of multistage board | substrate connection structure which becomes another example (Example 2). It is a perspective view which shows the state after completion of the electrical connection by the multistage board | substrate connection structure of FIG. 3 (Example 2). It is sectional drawing which shows the part of the relay mounting part in the electrical connection box of a prior art example.

  The multistage substrate connection structure is a structure for arranging and electrically connecting at least the first substrate and the second substrate in multiple stages with a space in the thickness direction. The first substrate is provided with a metal male through terminal projecting from the first substrate, and the second substrate is provided with a female terminal fitting having a recess matched to the male through terminal. The first substrate and the second substrate are provided with a bendable flexible circuit whose one end is electrically connected to the first substrate and the other end is electrically connected to the second substrate. In such a multistage substrate connection structure, when the flexible circuit is bent to make the second substrate face the terminal disposition surface of the first substrate, the male through terminal penetrates the female terminal fitting and electrically Connected The first substrate and the second substrate are electrically connected by the male through terminal, the female terminal fitting, and the flexible circuit.

  Hereinafter, Example 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main part of the multistage substrate connection structure and the electrical connection box of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a development view showing a state before the completion of electrical connection by the multi-stage substrate connection structure of FIG. The arrow P in FIG. 1 indicates the vertical direction, and the arrow Q indicates the horizontal direction.

<About Electrical Connection Box 21>
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes an electrical connection box of the present invention mounted at a predetermined position of a car. The electrical connection box 21 is, for example, a power supply box, and includes a case 22 and a wiring board unit 23 housed in the case 22. The wiring board unit 23 adopts the multistage board connecting structure 24 of the present invention, and is formed in the state as shown by the structure. That is, a plurality of substrates are formed in a state of being arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the thickness direction and electrically connected.

  As will be understood from the following description, the multistage substrate connection structure 24 can reduce the penetration points of the terminals more than the conventional example, and can also simplify the structure by reducing the penetration points of the terminals. Furthermore, the structure is such that the effect of being able to improve the quality of electrical connection can be obtained by making the structure simple.

<About Case 22>
The case 22 includes a lower case 25 and an upper case 26. Lower case 25 has a bottom wall 27 disposed on the lower side, and a side wall 28 formed upward from the edge of bottom wall 27. The lower case 25 is formed in a box shape having a bottom and an upper surface opening. On the other hand, the upper case 26 has a ceiling wall 29 disposed on the upper side, and a side wall 30 formed downward from the edge of the ceiling wall 29. The upper case 26 is formed in a box shape that can cover the top opening of the lower case 25.

  An opening (not shown) for connector connection is formed in part of the side wall 28 of the lower case 25 and / or part of the side wall 30 of the upper case 26. The opening is formed as a portion for connecting a connector from the outside to a substrate connector 34 to 37 described later. The case 22 is not limited to the present embodiment as long as it can accommodate the wiring board unit 23.

<About the wiring board unit 23>
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the wiring board unit 23 is a functional part as the electric connection box 21 and is configured to include an upper wiring board unit 31 and a lower wiring board unit 32. The wiring board unit 23 having such a configuration adopts a multistage board connection structure 24 for arranging the board of the upper wiring board unit 31 and the board of the lower wiring board unit 32 in multiple stages in the vertical direction and electrically connecting them. It is formed in the illustrated shape.

<About the upper wiring board unit 31>
The upper wiring board unit 31 includes a first substrate 33 formed of a known PCB, a plurality of substrate connectors 34 to 37 mounted on the upper surface (surface) of the first substrate 33, and the first substrate 33. A fuse holder 38 and a relay 39 mounted on the upper surface, a circuit (not shown) formed on the first substrate 33 in a desired pattern, and a conductive male through terminal 40 provided on the lower surface (rear surface) of the first substrate 33 And is configured.

<About lower wiring board unit 32>
The lower wiring board unit 32 includes a second substrate 41 formed of a known PCB, a circuit (not shown) formed on the second substrate 41 in a desired pattern, and a lower surface (rear surface of the second substrate 41). And a conductive female terminal fitting 42 mounted on the connector.

<Regarding multistage substrate connection structure 24>
As described above, in the multistage board connection structure 24, the first board 33 of the upper wiring board unit 31 and the second board 41 of the lower wiring board unit 32 are vertically separated (in the board thickness direction) in a multistage manner. Of the upper wiring board unit 31, the female terminal fitting 42 of the lower wiring board unit 32, and the bendable flexible circuit 43. Is configured.

<About male through terminal 40>
The male through terminal 40 is a metallic male terminal fitting that protrudes directly below the lower surface of the first substrate 33, and is formed in a band plate shape (bus bar shape). The male through terminal 40 is formed to project by a length necessary for electrical connection with the female terminal fitting 42 (it may be shaped as in Example 2 described later) . The male through terminal 40 is formed to be stepped on the side. That is, the lower surface side of the first substrate 33 is formed in a stepped shape such that the width is wide and the protruding tip side is slightly narrow.

  In addition, the shape of the male through terminal 40 is not limited to a bus bar shape which is a thick plate having a rectangular cross section, and may be, for example, a pin shape. Further, in the case of only the upper and lower two stages as in this embodiment, the arrangement of the male through terminal 40 may be replaced with the arrangement of the female terminal fitting 42 described below.

  The male through terminal 40 is used as a power input portion to the lower wiring board unit 32 (in the present embodiment, the male through terminal 40 is used as a circuit portion dedicated to power input, though not particularly limited thereto). The flexible circuit 43 described below is used for the remaining circuits other than the power supply input.

<About female terminal fitting 42>
The female terminal fitting 42 is a female terminal fitting mounted on the lower surface (back surface, see FIG. 2) of the second substrate 41 and has a box-like appearance and conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the male through terminal 40. It is formed to have a depression (a terminal through portion). The female terminal fitting 42 is formed such that the male through terminal 40 penetrates the above-mentioned recess and can be electrically connected. In addition, for example, it is formed to have a spring piece or the like so that stable electrical connection can be made. The female terminal fitting 42 is disposed in alignment with the position of the male through terminal 40.

  Not only the female terminal fitting 42 but also a through hole conforming to the cross sectional shape of the male through terminal 40 is formed in the second substrate 41, and a contact portion with the male through terminal 40 at the edge of the through hole. Shall be provided to respond.

<About flexible circuit 43>
The flexible circuit 43 is a bendable circuit having flexibility, and a well-known FPC is adopted in this embodiment. The flexible circuit 43 is a circuit for electrically connecting the first substrate 33 and the second substrate 41, and is formed so that the remaining circuits other than the power input by the male through terminal 40 can be integrated. Be done. The flexible circuit 43 is electrically connected to a circuit (not shown) of the first substrate 33 at one end. Also, the other end is electrically connected to a circuit (not shown) of the second substrate 41. The flexible circuit 43 is formed to have a length that can be bent into a substantially U shape in order to make the lower surface of the second substrate 41 face the lower surface of the first substrate 33.

<About electrical connection by multistage substrate connection structure 24>
As shown in FIG. 2, the first substrate 33 and the second substrate are arranged such that the first substrate 33 of the upper wiring substrate unit 31 and the second substrate 41 of the lower wiring substrate unit 32 can be arranged on the same plane. When the second circuit board 41 is made to face the first board 33 by bending the flexible circuit 43 in a substantially U shape as shown in FIG. When facing each other), the male through terminal 40 penetrates the female terminal fitting 42 to complete the electrical connection. When the electrical connection is completed, the wiring board unit 23 is formed to be able to be accommodated in the case 22.

<Effect of the present invention>
As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, according to the multistage substrate connection structure 24 of the present invention, electrical connection by the male through terminal 40 and the female terminal fitting 42 and bending are possible. The electrical connection by the flexible circuit 43 is divided so that the first substrate 33 and the second substrate 41 can be electrically connected. As a result, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of penetrations of the terminal compared to the conventional example. In addition, by reducing the number of penetrations of the terminal, the structure can be simplified as compared with the conventional example. Furthermore, the effect of improving the quality of electrical connection can be achieved with a simple structure.

  Example 2 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a part of another example multistage substrate connection structure. 4 is a perspective view showing a state after completion of electrical connection by the multi-stage substrate connection structure of FIG. The same reference numerals as in the first embodiment denote the same parts as in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<Regarding multistage substrate connection structure 24>
In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, Example 2 is a multistage board connection which can cope with the case where the third substrate 44 and the fourth substrate 45 are increased as compared with Example 1 (even when there are more stages). It is an example of structure 24.

  The male through terminal 40 in the figure is provided on the first substrate 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Here, the male through terminal 40 is longer than that of the first embodiment, and the side is formed in a plurality of stepped shapes. A female terminal fitting 42 is provided on the second substrate 41. A flexible circuit 43 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) for electrically connecting the first substrate 33 and the second substrate 41 is provided.

  The third substrate 44 is provided with a metallic third substrate female terminal fitting 46 having conductivity. The third substrate female terminal fitting 46 has the same function as the female terminal fitting 42 of the second substrate 41, and is disposed in alignment with the position of the female terminal fitting 42. Further, the third substrate 44 is also provided with a bendable third substrate flexible circuit (not shown, using an FPC). The flexible circuit for the third substrate (not shown) is electrically connected to the first substrate 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) or the second substrate 41 at one end.

  The fourth substrate 45 is provided with a fourth substrate female terminal fitting 47 made of a conductive metal. The fourth substrate female terminal fitting 47 has the same function as the female terminal fitting 42 of the second substrate 41, and is disposed in alignment with the positions of the female terminal fitting 42 and the third substrate female terminal fitting 46. Ru. The fourth substrate 45 is also provided with a bendable fourth substrate flexible circuit (not shown, using an FPC). The flexible circuit for the fourth substrate (not shown) is electrically connected to the first substrate 33 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) or the second substrate 41 or the third substrate 44 at one end.

<About electrical connection by multistage substrate connection structure 24>
As in the first embodiment, the second substrate 41 is opposed to the first substrate 33, the third substrate 44 is opposed to the second substrate 41, and the fourth substrate 45 is opposed to the third substrate 44. And a long male through terminal 40 penetrates through the female terminal fitting 42, the third terminal socket 46 for the third substrate, and the fourth terminal socket for the fourth substrate (also penetrates the second substrate 41 and the third substrate 44) ) Electrical connection is complete.

<Effect of the present invention>
As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, it goes without saying that the second embodiment exhibits the same effect as the first embodiment. That is, the effect of being able to reduce the penetration part of a terminal remarkably compared with a prior art example is show | played. In addition, by reducing the number of penetrations of the terminal, the structure can be simplified as compared with the conventional example. Furthermore, the effect of improving the quality of electrical connection can be achieved with a simple structure.

  Besides the above, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Electrical connection box, 22 ... Case, 23 ... Wiring board unit, 24 ... Multistage board connection structure, 25 ... Lower case, 26 ... Upper case, 27 ... Bottom wall, 28 ... Side wall, 29 ... Ceiling wall, 30 ... Side wall, 31: upper wiring board unit, 32: lower wiring board unit, 33: first board, 34 to 37: board connector, 38: fuse holder, 39: relay, 40: male through terminal, 41: second board, 42 ... Female terminal fitting (terminal penetrating portion), 43 Flexible circuit, 44 ... Third substrate, 45 ... Fourth substrate, 46 ... Female terminal fitting for third substrate (terminal penetrating portion for third substrate), 47 ... Fourth Female terminal fitting for board (4th board terminal penetration part)

Claims (5)

In a multistage substrate connection structure for arranging at least a first substrate and a second substrate in multiple stages at intervals in the thickness direction and electrically connecting them,
The first substrate is provided with a metal male through terminal projecting from the first substrate, and the second substrate is provided with a terminal through portion which becomes a recess matched to the male through terminal; One substrate and the second substrate are provided with a bendable flexible circuit having one end electrically connected to the first substrate and the other end electrically connected to the second substrate, and the flexible circuit And the male through terminal is electrically connected to the terminal through portion when the second substrate is made to face the terminal arrangement surface of the first substrate so that the second substrate is bent. Arranging and forming a through terminal, the terminal through portion, and the flexible circuit ;
Furthermore, a third substrate is provided, and the third substrate is provided with a through hole for a third substrate terminal that is recessed corresponding to the male through terminal, and the first substrate or the second substrate and the third substrate are provided. And a bendable third substrate flexible circuit having one end electrically connected to the first substrate or the second substrate and the other end electrically connected to the third substrate, When the third substrate is made to face the second substrate so as to bend the flexible circuit for the third substrate, the male through terminal penetrating through the terminal through portion also penetrates through the third substrate terminal through portion. In the state of being electrically connected, the male through terminal, the terminal through portion, and the flexible circuit are disposed and formed, and the third substrate terminal through portion and the third substrate flexible circuit are disposed. Multi-stage substrate connection structure characterized by forming . In the multistage substrate connection structure according to claim 1,
The second substrate is provided with a conductive female metal terminal fitting, and the female terminal metal fitting is formed with a portion corresponding to the terminal penetrating portion. In the multistage substrate connection structure according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the third substrate, the female terminal fitting metal third substrate having conductivity is provided, the said third substrate female terminal fitting, to form a portion corresponding to the terminal through portion for the third substrate Multi-stage substrate connection structure characterized by In the multistage substrate connection structure according to claim 1, 2 or 3,
A multistage substrate connection structure, wherein the male through terminal is formed as a plate-like power input portion . A plurality of substrates and a case for containing the plurality of substrates, wherein the plurality of substrates are arranged in multiple stages in the case and electrically connected, are described in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 An electrical connection box characterized by employing a multi-stage substrate connection structure of

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