JPH10189090A - Terminal connecting structure, electric connection box, and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To establish certain terminal connection by absorbing positional dislocation of terminals from each other. SOLUTION: A terminal 22 is fixed to a conductive soft member 21, which is fixed to an insulative hard case 23, and the terminal is made swingable relative to the mating terminal 30. Manufacture is made by an integral molding process for the terminal 22 to the soft material 21, and a hard resin case 23 is integrally molded on its outside so that an electric connection box 25 is provided. A coupling part to connect together a plurality of such soft material pieces 21 is severed by punching process appropriately, and thereby a plurality of joint circuits are produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal connection structure in which a terminal is movably supported by a conductive soft member so as to be able to absorb a positional deviation from a counterpart terminal, an electric connection box using the structure, and an electric connection box using the same. It relates to a manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There have been proposed various methods for connecting terminals. FIG.
Fig. 4 shows a conventional connection structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4 (1994) -114, No. 4;

In this structure, a terminal portion 42 is formed at one end of a bus bar 41 by rising, and a male tab terminal 43 such as a fuse or a relay is connected to the terminal portion 42. The terminal part 42 includes contact pieces 44 separated from each other back and forth with a gap S,
The male tab terminal 43 is inserted and clamped between the contact pieces 44 and 45 as shown in FIG. The bus bar 41 is built in an electric connection box (not shown).

However, in the above-described conventional structure, if the rising position of the terminal portion 42 is shifted back and forth with respect to the male tab terminal 43 when connecting the terminals, the contact pieces 44 and 45 are inserted when the terminals are inserted. There is a problem that a stress is generated at the base (base portion) 46.

[0005] On the other hand, FIG.
1 shows a conventional connection structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-26095.
This structure is such that a bus bar 50 having a chain shape is formed in a long groove 49 of a synthetic resin upper cover 48 having a female connector housing 47.
And the terminal portion 51 is inserted into the female connector housing 47, and the lower cover 53 made of synthetic resin is covered on the upper cover 48 to form the electric connection box 63. A mating male connector 54 is fitted to the female connector 52, and a mating female terminal 55 is connected to the terminal portion 51.

However, in this structure, when the alignment (center position) of the terminal portion 51 with respect to the female terminal 55 of the mating connector 54 is displaced during connector connection, stress is applied to the root of the terminal portion 51 as in the previous example. Problem.

FIG. 16 shows a conventional connection structure described in JP-A-8-96917. This structure is such that a plate-like terminal 57 is integrally fixed in a connector housing 56 made of synthetic resin by resin molding. The terminals 57 are fixed at both ends by molding dies 58, and in this state, the connector housing 56 is resin-molded by the molding dies 59 on both sides. The elastic portion 60 at the center of the terminal 57 is a female connector 61
The position of both ends of the terminal is precisely defined.

However, in this structure, although the protrusion length of the male tab portion 62 of the terminal 57 is accurately defined, when the alignment of the male tab portion 62 with the terminal of the mating male connector (not shown) is misaligned. However, as in the previous example, there was a problem that the root of the male tab portion 62 was stressed. In addition, even when the position of the male tab portion 62 is accurate at the time of molding the resin, there is a concern that the alignment is likely to be out of alignment due to the thermal contraction of the resin.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when connecting a terminal such as a fuse or a relay or a mating connector to a terminal portion, a smooth and reliable connection can be achieved even if the alignment is incorrect. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal connection structure, an electric connection box, and a method of manufacturing the same, which do not cause stress at the base (base) of the terminal portion.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of fixing a terminal to a conductive soft member, fixing the conductive soft member to an insulating hard case, and fixing the terminal to a mating terminal. And a terminal connection structure in which the terminal is swingably supported. An electric connection box having the above terminal connection structure is also effective. Also, a method of manufacturing an electric connection box, in which a terminal is integrally molded with a conductive soft member, and a hard resin case is integrally formed outside the conductive soft member to form an electric connection box, and a plurality of conductive soft members The connecting part connecting the two is cut by a punch as appropriate, and a method of manufacturing an electric junction box for obtaining a plurality of joint circuits is also adopted.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a terminal connection structure according to the present invention. In this structure, the base of the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is fixed to a rectangular long conductive soft member 1, and the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is swingably supported in the fuse block 4 of the electric connection box 3. It is.

The outside of the conductive soft member 1 is held by an insulating hard synthetic resin case (insulating hard case) 5. The fuse block 4 is formed integrally with the case 5, and the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 6 of the fuse block 4 with clearances S ₁ and S ₂ .

In this example, three tuning fork-shaped terminals 2 are arranged in parallel in the plate width direction (FIG. 1) and two in the plate thickness direction (FIG. 2), and the bases of the terminals 2 are independent of each other. It is connected to a continuous conductive soft member 1. The conductive soft member 1 has a rectangular cross section and extends in an elongated shape, and plays a role of a bus bar circuit. The male tab terminal 8 of the blade fuse 7 is connected to the tip of each tuning fork-shaped terminal 2.

FIGS. 3 to 6 show a manufacturing process (method) of the electric junction box 3. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the base of the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is integrally molded with the conductive soft member 1 (primary molding). The conductive soft member 1 is preferably made of conductive silicon rubber, and needs to have an elasticity that holds the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 in an upright state and that can be securely restored even if it swings. The conductive soft members 1 are arranged with a gap 9 by a mold (not shown), and the terminals 2 are not connected to each other.

The tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 has a pair of left and right contact pieces 10, and a contact projection 11 for the male tab terminal 8 of the fuse 7 is provided inside the tip of each contact piece 10. Tuning fork terminal 2
A pair of left and right concave grooves 12 are formed at the base of the groove 12.
By filling the inside with the conductive soft member 1, the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is firmly fixed to the conductive soft member 1 without rattling. Therefore, there is no fear that the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 comes off.

The base end of the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 has a projecting piece 13 and is located deeply into the bottom side of the conductive soft member 1, and the upper shoulder 14 of the groove 12 is connected to the conductive soft member 1. Implanted at the top of the This also allows the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 to be firmly fixed to the conductive soft member 1.

At the time of connection with the partner terminal 8, FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b)
When the pressing force acts on the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 in the width direction (a) or the plate thickness direction (b), the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 swings around the base and the misalignment with the mating terminal 8. Absorb. Thereby, smooth and reliable terminal connection is performed. Further, since the conductive soft member 1 is excellent in elasticity and responsively responds to a small pressing force to cause the terminal 2 to swing, the stress applied to the base of the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is extremely small.

After the primary molding, a general insulating synthetic resin material 5 is secondary molded outside the conductive soft member 1 as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the insulating case 5 of the electric connection box 1 including the fuse block 4 is configured.

The conductive soft member 1 is connected to the fuse block 4
The width L larger than the width of the terminal accommodating chamber 6 ₁, L_TwoFormed with
And the steps 15 and 16 are provided at the bottom of the terminal chamber 6 for stability.
Is held. Therefore, even if the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 swings, it is conductive.
The soft member 1 may not be displaced or rattle at all.
The tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is firmly supported. Ma
The base end 17 of the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 has a rigid bottom wall 1 of the case 5.
8 is located close to the fuse fork-like terminal 2
When the needle 8 is inserted, the tuning fork-shaped terminal 2 is connected to the conductive soft member 1.
Securely receives terminal insertion force without sinking inside
In addition, reliable terminal insertion is enabled.

According to the above embodiment, when the terminal 8 such as the fuse 7 or the relay is connected to the tuning fork-like terminal 2, the tuning fork-like terminal 2 is electrically conductive even if there is a slight dimensional deviation (center misalignment) or inclination. Since it is movable on the flexible soft member 1 in the direction of misalignment or the direction of inclination, dimensional deviation and inclination are absorbed, and smooth and reliable terminal connection is performed.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the terminal connection structure according to the present invention. In this structure, a plurality of male tab terminals 22 are erected on each of a plurality of rectangular long conductive soft members 21, and a hard case 23 made of synthetic resin is formed outside each conductive soft member 21. Thus, an electric connection box 25 including a plurality of female connectors 24 is configured.

The conductive soft member 21 is formed of a conductive silicon rubber material or the like as in the previous example. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of conductive soft members 21 are arranged in parallel in an electric connection box 25,
The connector 24 and the connector 24 are integrally connected. The connecting portion 26 is cut at an appropriate position by, for example, punch cutting. The cut portion 27 allows the plurality of conductive soft members 21 to be connected to the plurality of joint circuits 35.
It is divided into ₁ to 35 _3. The male tab terminal 22 projects into the female connector housing 28 and constitutes the female connector 24 with respect to the mating male connector 29.

The male tab terminal 22 is supported by the conductive soft member 21 in the female connector 24 so as to be swingable similarly to the previous example (FIG. 4). Thereby, when connecting the mating male connector 29, even if the male tab terminal 22 is misaligned or inclined with respect to the mating female terminal 30, the terminal connection is performed smoothly and reliably.

9 to 12 show a process (method) of manufacturing the electric connection box 25. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 9, a base 22 of a male tab terminal 22 is attached to a rectangular long conductive soft member 21.
a is integrally molded (primary molding). The male tab terminals 22 are arranged side by side in pairs. Each male tab terminal 22 is joined via a conductive soft member 21. As shown in FIG. 10, the conductive soft members 21 are arranged in parallel, and are joined by a plurality of connecting portions 26.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 12, a hard insulating synthetic resin material 23 is secondarily formed on the outside of the conductive soft member 21. Thereby, the case 23 including the bottom wall 31 and the plurality of female connector housings 28 is configured. The conductive soft member 21 includes a bottom wall 31 of the case 23 and each connector 2.
4 and is fixed in close contact with a horizontal holding wall 32. A space 33 is formed between the connectors 24, and the holding wall 32
A thin portion 34 (FIG. 11) is formed in the bottom wall 31 on the lower side. The connecting portion 26 is located between the holding wall 32 and the thin portion 34, and a hole is punched from the holding wall 32 to the thin portion 34 with a punch, thereby forming the cut portion 27 shown in FIGS.

According to the present embodiment, since the male tab terminal 22 is movable in the direction of misalignment or inclination of the mating female terminal 30 at the time of connector connection, a smooth connector connection is performed. Also, even if the arrangement of the male tab terminals 22 is slightly shifted,
Since the mating terminal 30 can be securely connected, the male tab terminal 22
There is no need to precisely regulate the position of the device, so that the manufacturing is simplified and the cost is reduced. In addition, since the conductive soft member 21 instead of the bus bar can be easily disposed by resin molding, it is not necessary to dispose the conventional metal bus bar in the electric connection box, and the manufacturing of the electric connection box is not required. Is simplified, the number of manufacturing steps is reduced, and the cost is reduced.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the center positions of the terminals are shifted at the time of connecting the terminals, the terminals are swung about the conductive soft member as a fulcrum, and the positions are shifted. Since the terminals are absorbed, stress is not applied to the terminals, deformation and the like are prevented, and smooth and reliable terminal connection is enabled. According to the second and third aspects, the conductive soft member can be used in place of the bus bar. Therefore, the man-hour for arranging the bus bar is not required, and the conductive soft member can be easily formed by resin molding. The manufacturing of the connection box is simplified, and the number of manufacturing steps is reduced. . According to the fourth aspect, a joint circuit having a desired form can be easily obtained by punch cutting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of a terminal connection structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a manufacturing process (primary molding state) of the electric junction box.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a swinging state of a terminal, wherein FIG. 4A is a front view and FIG. 4B is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a secondary molding state in a manufacturing process of the electric junction box.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the terminal connection structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the electric connection box.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a manufacturing process (primary molding state) of the electric junction box.

FIG. 10 is a plan view similarly showing a primary molding state.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a secondary molding state.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a secondary molding state in a manufacturing process of the electric junction box.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a first conventional example.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the terminal connection state.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second conventional example.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,21 conductive soft member 2,22 terminal 3,25 electrical connection box 5,23 case 8,30 partner terminal 26 connecting part 27 cutting part 35 _{1 to} 35 ₃ joint circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] A terminal is fixed to a conductive soft member, the conductive soft member is fixed to an insulating hard case, and the terminal is swingably supported with respect to a counterpart terminal. Terminal connection structure. 2. An electric connection box having the terminal connection structure according to claim 1. 3. A method of manufacturing an electric connection box, comprising: integrally molding a terminal on a conductive soft member; and integrally forming a hard resin case outside the conductive soft member. . 4. The method for manufacturing an electrical junction box according to claim 3, wherein a connecting portion connecting the plurality of conductive soft members is cut with a punch as appropriate to obtain a plurality of joint circuits.