JPH11273809A - Connecting structure between printed circuit boards - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance work efficiency for mutually combining and integrating work of electrical connection boxes by automatically completing electrical connection between connection terminals on a printed circuit board stored in each electrical connection box, when combining and integrating plural electrical connection boxes. SOLUTION: First and second electrical connection boxes 1, 2 store and hold printed circuit boards 4a, 5a respectively such that the connection terminal 4a, 5a on first and second printed circuit boards 4, 5 stored respectively are confronted each other, when combining and integrating those electric connection boxes 1, 2. An electrical connector 9 with plural contacts 7, which can be brought into pressure contact with connection terminals 4a, 4b respectively in an elastically deformed state on the first and second printed circuits boards 4, 5, which are conductive and arranged confronting each other, is provided in the first electrical connection box.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure between printed circuit boards, and more particularly, to a structure for connecting a first electric connection box and a second electric connection box when the first electric connection box and the second electric connection box are combined. A connection terminal on the first printed circuit board housed in the box and a second terminal housed in the second electrical connection box;
The present invention relates to a connection structure between printed circuit boards for making electrical connection with connection terminals on the printed circuit board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a current vehicle, a control circuit for controlling a running state or the like and an operating state of a device used for high-density mounting of electric and electronic circuits, improvement of productivity, improvement of maintainability, and the like. In many cases, a switch circuit or the like for switching between the components is formed on a printed circuit board and housed in an electric junction box provided at a predetermined position in a vehicle.

[0003] More recently, in order to easily and economically respond to changes in vehicle types and grades, printed circuit boards are equipped with, for example, a first control circuit and the like that can be commonly used regardless of changes in grades and the like. It is divided into a printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board on which a dedicated switch circuit or the like corresponding to each grade is mounted. Then, the respective printed circuit boards are individually housed and held in dedicated first and second electric connection boxes, and further, the first and second electric connection boxes are combined and united to form one electric connection box. There is something that can be handled as. With this configuration, it is possible to easily cope with various grades, for example, only by rearranging the second electric connection boxes prepared for each grade.

[0004] By the way, the electric junction box is thus provided with the first
In the configuration completed by coupling and combining the electrical connection box and the second electrical connection box, the connection terminal on the first printed circuit board in the first electrical connection box is connected to the second electrical connection at the time of combining and combining. The connection terminals on the second printed circuit board in the connection box must be electrically connected. Therefore, conventionally, a dedicated wiring harness for connecting a substrate has been used. The wiring harness for connecting the board includes, for example, a contact terminal in the first connector fitted to the connection terminal on the first printed circuit board and a second connector fitted to the contact terminal on the second printed circuit board. This is a structure in which the inside contact terminals are connected with a covered wire of an appropriate length.

[0005]

However, it is difficult to automate the operation of connecting the printed circuit boards with each other by using the wiring harnesses for connecting the boards. Since it is necessary to take into account prevention of insertion, etc., there has been a problem that the work efficiency of the work of joining and combining the electric junction boxes is reduced. Further, there is a possibility that the extra length of the wire harness may touch the electric or electronic components housed in the surrounding box wall or the electric connection box due to the vibration of the vehicle or the like, causing abnormal noise.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and when connecting and uniting a plurality of electric connection boxes, connecting terminals on a printed circuit board housed in each electric connection box are connected to each other. An object of the present invention is to provide a good connection structure between printed circuit boards, which can automatically complete an electrical connection and can improve work efficiency of a work of joining and combining electric connection boxes.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a first electric connection box which is accommodated in a first electric connection box when the first electric connection box and the second electric connection box are joined together. Connection structure between printed circuit boards for electrically connecting connection terminals on a first printed circuit board and connection terminals on a second printed circuit board housed in the second electric connection box Wherein the first and second electrical connection boxes are such that when the electrical connection boxes are combined and united, the connection terminals on the first and second printed circuit boards face each other. Each printed circuit board is housed and held,
At least one of the first and second electric connection boxes has conductivity, and the first and second electric connection boxes face each other.
And a connection structure between the printed circuit boards, wherein each of the connection terminals on the second printed circuit board is provided with an electrical connector having a contact that can be pressed in an elastically deformed state.

According to the above configuration, when the first electric junction box and the second electric junction box are combined and united, the first printed circuit board housed in the first electric junction box The upper connection terminal and the connection terminal on the second printed circuit board accommodated in the second electric connection box are electrically connected by a contact of an electric connector mounted on at least one of the electric connection boxes. Connected to. Since the relative positions of the contacts of the electrical connector mounted on the electrical junction box with respect to the respective printed circuit boards are determined, the position of the fitting portion may be misaligned or incorrect when the electrical junction boxes are joined or united. There is no need to consider insertion prevention and the like, and the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards can be automatically completed by the operation of joining and combining the electrical junction boxes.

Preferably, the electric connector is movably supported in a facing direction between connection terminals on each printed circuit board to be electrically connected. With this configuration, the first
And the second electric connection box are combined and united, and when the electric connection is sandwiched between the connection terminals of the first and second printed circuit boards, the first and second electric connection boxes are connected. The electric connector can move along the facing direction so that the contact pressure to each connection terminal of the printed circuit board becomes equal.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a connection structure between printed circuit boards according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of first and second electric connection boxes according to a connection structure between printed circuit boards according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of each electric connection box shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a process of connecting the respective printed circuit boards when the respective electric connection boxes shown in FIG. 2 are combined and combined.

The connection structure between the printed circuit boards of the present embodiment is such that when the first electric connection box 1 and the second electric connection box 2 are combined and united, the first electric connection box 1 is connected to the first electric connection box 1. A connection terminal (land) 4a printed and formed on the first printed circuit board 4 accommodated therein;
The electrical connection is made with connection terminals (lands) 5a formed on the second printed circuit board 5 accommodated in the printer.

The first and second electric junction boxes 1 and 2 are:
Each is a molded article made of an insulating resin material, and houses various printed circuit boards, fuses, relays, connectors for connecting a wire harness, etc. necessary for controlling the electric system of the vehicle. The second electric junction box 2 is combined and combined in a state where the second electric junction box 2 is superimposed thereon, and is mounted on a vehicle.

Connection of the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2
The merging direction is the vertical direction in the figure, and as shown in FIG. 1, the box wall 21 on the lower surface of the second electric connection box 2 has a box wall on the upper surface of the first electric connection box 1 during the joining operation. A tapered positioning projection 22 for performing horizontal alignment by fitting into a guide hole 12 formed in the projection 11 is protruded. Engaging projections 24 are provided on both side walls of the second electric connection box 2, and the first electric connection box 1 is provided with a box wall 21 on the lower surface of the second electric connection box 2. When the electric connection box 1 is brought into close contact with the box wall 11 on the upper surface of the electric connection box 1,
A locking piece 15 having a locking hole 14 into which the locking member 4 is locked is projected. That is, when the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2 in the present embodiment are overlapped in the vertical direction, the positioning projection 22 fits into the guide hole 12 and the engagement projection 24 engages with the locking projection. By being locked in the holes 14, they are combined and united to be integrated.

The above-mentioned first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2
The connection terminals 4a and 5a on the first and second printed circuit boards 4 and 5 housed in the respective electric connection boxes are connected to each other in the vertical direction when they are combined and united. The first and second printed circuit boards 4 and 5 are supported in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the electric junction boxes are joined and combined (that is, with the board surface horizontal).

Further, the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2 have an upper surface box wall 11 and a lower surface which are interposed between the first and second printed circuit boards 4 and 5 when combined and combined. In the box wall 21, there are formed terminal connection openings 16 and 26, through which the connection terminals 4a and 5a to be connected face each other in a direct viewing state.

The terminal connection opening 16 provided in the first electric connection box 1 is a large opening for exposing a plurality of connection terminals 4a on the first printed circuit board 4 all at once. On the other hand, the terminal connection opening 26 provided in the second electric connection box 2 is a slit-shaped opening provided for each connection terminal 5a on the second printed circuit board 5, and has a slit width. Are set appropriately wider than the connection terminals 5a.

In the case of the present embodiment, for example, the first printed circuit board 4 is a main board for forming a control circuit for running control and the like, and the second printed circuit board 5 switches the control mode and the like. It is a board equipped with a switch circuit. Then, the second printed circuit board 5 is accommodated.
The electric connection box 2 is provided with switches S ₁ and S ₂ for selecting an operating switch circuit and the like.

The first electric connection box 1 is made of a conductive material and has conductivity, and when the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2 are combined and united, the terminal connection is formed. Through the connection openings 16 and 26, the lower side is elastically deformed to the connection terminal 4a on the first printed circuit board 4, and the upper side is connected to the connection terminal 5a on the second printed circuit board 5 facing the upper side. An electrical connector 9 having a plurality of pressure-contactable contacts 7 is provided.

The contact 7 has its outer periphery connected to each connection terminal 4a,
5a, and a plurality of connection terminals are provided for each connection terminal to be connected. The entire contact 7 may be integrally formed of conductive rubber or the like, or may have a structure in which a conductive material is stuck or applied to the entire outer peripheral surface of a disk formed of an insulating elastic material. The outer diameter D of the contact 7 (see FIG. 2) is such that the electric connection boxes 1 and 2 are combined and united so that the contact pressure against the connection terminals 4a and 5a is maintained within an appropriate range by elastic deformation. Connection terminals 4a,
The interval L is set to be larger than the interval L (see FIG. 3B).

The plurality of contacts 7 are connected at intervals corresponding to the arrangement pitch of the connection terminals 4a and 5a by a support shaft 8 inserted through the center. The support shaft 8 is made of an insulating material, and is rotatably held by the first electric connection box 1 by engaging both ends with support holes 18 provided on the side wall of the first electric connection box 1. ing. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the support hole 18 is elongated in the direction in which the connection terminals 4a and 5a on the printed circuit boards 4 and 5 face each other (that is, in the vertical direction which is the direction in which the electric connection boxes are connected and united). It is a long hole, and supports the support shaft 8 movably in the vertical direction. That is, each contact 7 supported by the first electric connection box 1 via the support shaft 8 is rotatable and is movably supported in a direction facing the connection terminals 4a and 5a.

In the above-described connection structure between printed circuit boards, when the first electric connection box 1 and the second electric connection box 2 are combined and united, they are accommodated in the first electric connection box 1. A connection terminal 4a on the first printed circuit board 4,
The connection terminals 5a on the second printed circuit board 5 housed in the second electric connection box 2 are electrically connected to each other by the contacts 7 of the electric connectors 9 provided in the first electric connection box 1. Connected.

The contact 7 of the electric connector 9 mounted on the first electric connection box 1 has a fixed position relative to each of the printed circuit boards 4 and 5, so that the connection and connection between the electric connection boxes are made. There is no need to consider the positioning of the fitting part or the prevention of erroneous insertion during the joining operation, and the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards can be automatically completed by the joining and joining operations of the electric junction boxes. .

That is, the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards 4 and 5 housed in the different electrical connection boxes 1 and 2 can be realized without using a wire harness, and the first electrical connection box 1 and the first electrical connection box 1 are connected to each other. The electric connection between the printed circuit boards 4 and 5 can be automatically completed by the operation of joining and combining the two electric connection boxes 2 with each other.
It is possible to improve the work efficiency of the mutual connection / coalescence work.

Further, since the wiring harness is not used for the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards 4 and 5, the extra length of the wiring harness is not accommodated in the surrounding box wall or the electric connection box due to the vibration of the vehicle or the like. -The generation of abnormal noise caused by touching electronic components can be prevented. Also,
Since the electric connector 9 is movably supported in a direction facing the connection terminals 4a and 5a on the printed circuit boards 4 and 5 to be electrically connected, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. First
The second electric connection box 2 is superimposed on the first electric connection box 1 and the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2 are combined and united. Circuit boards 4, 5
When the electric connector 9 is sandwiched between the connection terminals 4a and 5a, the electric connector 9 is moved by the reaction force received from the connection terminals 4a and 5a such that the contact pressures on the connection terminals 4a and 5a become equal. Since it moves along the facing direction, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as excessive deformation due to too high contact pressure on one connection terminal side, and to obtain a good electrical connection state.

Further, the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2
2, the first and second printed circuit boards 4 and 5 are supported in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the first and second electric connection boxes 1 and 2 are joined and combined with each other. The connection terminals 4a and 5a on the first and second printed circuit boards 4 and 5 face each other in parallel with each other, and the contact pressure on the connection terminals 4a and 5a by the electric connector 9 is a simple vertical direction. Only the pressing force is applied. Therefore, the amount of elastic deformation of the contact 7 and the electric connector 9 for obtaining a good electric connection state are described.
The setting of the mounting position is easy. In addition, the electrical connector of the present invention is not limited to the shape of the electrical connector 9 in the above embodiment, and the design can be appropriately changed based on the gist of the present invention.

[0026]

According to the connection structure for printed circuit boards of the present invention, when the first electric connection box and the second electric connection box are combined and united, the first electric connection box is connected to the first electric connection box. The connection terminal on the first printed circuit board accommodated therein and the connection terminal on the second printed circuit board accommodated in the second electric connection box are provided in at least one electric connection box. Electrically connected by the electrical connector.

Since the relative positions of the electric connectors mounted on the electric junction box with respect to the respective printed circuit boards are determined, the position of the fitting portion may be misaligned or incorrect when the electric junction boxes are joined or united. There is no need to consider insertion prevention and the like, and the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards can be automatically completed by the operation of joining and combining the electrical junction boxes.

Accordingly, the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards housed in different electrical junction boxes can be realized without using a wire harness, and the first electrical junction box and the second electrical junction box can be electrically connected.
Since the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards can be automatically completed by the connection / coupling operation with the electric connection box, the work efficiency of the connection / coupling operation between the electric connection boxes can be improved. Furthermore, since the wiring harness is not used for the electrical connection between the printed circuit boards, the extra length of the wiring harness may touch the surrounding box walls or the electric / electronic components contained in the electric connection box due to the vibration of the vehicle or the like. It is also possible to prevent the generation of abnormal noise caused by the noise.

[0029]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of first and second electric connection boxes according to a connection structure between printed circuit boards according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of each electric connection box shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a process of connecting the printed circuit boards when the electric connection boxes shown in FIG. 2 are combined and united.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st electric connection box 2 2nd electric connection box 4 1st printed circuit board 4a connection terminal 5 2nd printed circuit board 5a connection terminal 7 contact 8 support shaft 9 electric connection 11 box wall 12 guide hole 16 Terminal connection opening 21 Box wall 22 Positioning protrusion 26 Terminal connection opening

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connection terminal on a first printed circuit board housed in the first electric connection box when the first electric connection box and the second electric connection box are combined and united. And a connection structure between the printed circuit boards for electrically connecting with connection terminals on a second printed circuit board housed in the second electric connection box, wherein the first and second The electric connection box houses and holds the printed circuit boards such that the connection terminals on the first and second printed circuit boards face each other when the electric connection boxes are combined and united. At least one of the first and second electric connection boxes has conductivity and the first and second electric connection boxes face each other.
And a connection structure between the printed circuit boards, wherein each of the connection terminals on the second printed circuit board is provided with an electrical connector having a contact that can be pressed in an elastically deformed state. 2. The connection between printed circuit boards according to claim 1, wherein the electric connector is movably supported in a facing direction between connection terminals on each of the printed circuit boards to be electrically connected. Construction.