WO2006006306A1

WO2006006306A1 - Interconnecting connector

Info

Publication number: WO2006006306A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/009409
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tatsuya Oka
Original assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-07-13
Filing date: 2005-05-24
Publication date: 2006-01-19
Also published as: CN1985416A; CN100574021C; JP4396703B2; JPWO2006006306A1

Abstract

An interconnecting connector (10) for electrically connecting conductors contained in an electric connection box (100). In the housing (11) of the interconnecting connector (10), a long first terminal containing section (14) and a short second terminal containing section (15) are provided through a level difference, and a long first interconnecting terminal (20) is contained in the first terminal containing section (14). The first interconnecting terminal (20) is shaped so as to be able to connect connection terminals (41, 61) conducting with conductors inserted from the opposite, above and below, sides. On the other hand, a short second interconnecting terminal (21) is contained in the second terminal containing section (15). The second interconnecting terminal (21) is shaped to allow the insertion/connection of the connection terminal of a conductor being contained in the electric connection box (100) from one side, and to allow the direct connection of a connection piece (21b) projecting from the second interconnecting terminal (21) with an other conductor.

Description

Specification

Relay connector

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a relay connector, and more specifically, to electrically connect conductors of a printed circuit board accommodated in a layer such as three layers in a case of an electrical junction box.

Background art

Conventionally, in a case of an electrical junction box mounted on an automobile, a laminated body in which conductive bars are formed by punching conductive metal plates into a required shape and copper plates are alternately laminated on an insulating substrate. A circuit body such as a printed circuit board on which a conductor having a force such as a foil is printed in a required circuit pattern is accommodated. When this circuit body is housed in a plurality of layers in one case, the conductors of each circuit body are connected via a relay connector, and the conductors are electrically connected.

[0003] An electrical junction box 1 containing this type of relay connector is provided in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-15952 (Patent Document 1). As shown in FIG. 7, the electrical junction box 1 includes a bus bar laminated body 2 and a printed board 3, and a housing (relay connector) in which a relay terminal (not shown) is accommodated in an insulating plate of the bus bar laminated body 2. 4 is projected, and the bus bar of the bus bar laminated body 2 is connected to the relay terminal from below, and the upper force connects one end 5a of the connection terminal 5 and prints the other end 5b of the connection terminal 5. Soldered to the conductor of board 3. As a result, the bus bar of the bus bar laminate 2 and the conductor of the printed circuit board 3 are connected.

[0004] However, due to the increase in the number of circuits accompanying the rapid increase in electrical components in recent years, when trying to form a required circuit with two circuit bodies, the circuit body becomes larger in the horizontal direction and the circuit body becomes larger. Since the connecting relay connector also becomes larger, there is a problem that the electrical junction box becomes larger in the horizontal direction.

[0005] Therefore, when the three circuit bodies 6, 7, 8 are accommodated in the case of the electrical junction box with a space in the vertical direction, the conductors of the circuit bodies 6, 7, 8 are connected to each other. Although each circuit body can be reduced in size, the housing 4 must be provided on the circuit body 7 at the intermediate position and the circuit body 8 at the lower position as shown in FIG. Therefore, if a nozzle and a wedge are provided on different circuit bodies, the distance between the circuit bodies increases, and this time the electrical junction box becomes larger in the vertical direction. There is a problem that the width becomes large.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-15952

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a relay connector capable of easily electrically connecting conductors housed in a case of an electrical junction box and corresponding to a complicated circuit configuration. It is an issue.

Means for solving the problem

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a relay connector for electrically connecting conductors housed in an electrical connection box and layered in the electrical connection box,

The housing of the relay connector is provided with a long first terminal housing portion and a short second terminal housing portion with a step,

The first terminal accommodating portion accommodates a long first relay terminal, and a pair of connection terminals of conductors accommodated in the electrical connection box are inserted and connected from both sides in the length direction. On the other hand,

The second terminal accommodating portion accommodates a short second relay terminal, and the second relay terminal has a connection terminal of a conductor accommodated in the electrical connection box inserted and connected from one side and the second relay terminal. The present invention provides a relay connector characterized in that the connecting piece protruding from the terminal cap is shaped to be directly connectable to another conductor.

[0008] As described above, a long first terminal accommodating portion and a short second terminal accommodating portion are provided in the housing of the relay connector, and each of the terminal accommodating portions has a long first relay terminal and a short length. The second relay terminal is accommodated. Therefore, when three printed circuit boards are arranged in the electrical junction box with a vertical interval, if the relay connector is arranged with an opening in the intermediate printed circuit board, the conductors of the printed circuit boards in the upper and lower positions are connected to each other. Connection terminals connected to each conductor can be inserted into the first relay terminal for connection. In addition, for the connection of the printed circuit board conductor between the upper position and the intermediate position, and the lower position and the intermediate position, a part protruding from the second relay terminal (pin-shaped connection terminal) is inserted into the terminal hole of the printed circuit board at the intermediate position Can be connected.

[0009] The first relay terminal is a female one female in which the connection terminal is inserted and connected to both sides in the length direction. When it is provided with a terminal fitting part and the connecting piece projecting sideways and can be connected to three conductors, the three-layer printed circuit board conductors at the upper position, middle position, and lower position It can be connected via the first relay terminal.

[0010] One end side in the length direction of the first terminal accommodating portion and the second terminal accommodating portion is set at the same height, while the other end side is provided with a step difference from the second terminal accommodating portion. According to the above-described configuration, the protruding portion of the housing portion provided with the first terminal accommodating portion is protruded through the substrate at the intermediate position, while the housing portion provided with the second terminal accommodating portion is intermediate The relay connector can be placed in a stable state by being placed on the substrate at the position. In addition, since one end side of the first terminal accommodating part and the second terminal accommodating part have the same height and no protrusions are provided, the distance between the board on the intermediate position where the relay connector is attached and the boards on both the upper and lower sides is / J, It can be done.

The housing force also has a guide rib projecting, and the guide rib is fitted into a notch or a through hole formed in the board provided with the conductor to define a relative position of the board with respect to the housing. Speak.

According to the above configuration, when the relay connector is mounted on the intermediate board, the guide rib protruding from the relay connector is fitted into the notch or the through hole of the upper board or the Z board and the lower board. In addition, the relative positioning accuracy of the upper and lower substrates with respect to the relay connector can be increased. As a result, the connection can be made with high accuracy without causing deformation of the terminal during the connection work between the relay terminal and the conductor on the printed circuit board side.

[0012] The guide rib is provided with a stepped portion, and the stepped portion is brought into contact with a notch of the substrate or a peripheral portion of the through hole so as to define a distance between the substrate and the housing.

According to the above configuration, since the relay connector and the substrate are positioned with a predetermined gap between the relay connector and the substrate by the step portion of the guide rib, the connection terminal is set in the terminal housing portion of the relay connector. Only the dimension can be inserted accurately, and the connection terminal and the relay terminal can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the upper substrate is supported by the step. The invention's effect

As described above, according to the present invention, the relay connector is provided with a long terminal accommodating portion and a short terminal accommodating portion, and the first relay terminal and the second relay terminal having different shapes are provided in each terminal accommodating portion. Since it is housed, three-layer printed circuit board conductors are connected between the upper and lower conductors, between the upper or lower and intermediate conductors, and between the three conductors. It is possible to correspond to various connection patterns.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 shows a relay connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a front view and (B) is a right side view.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical junction box that houses the relay connector of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where a second relay terminal and a conductor of a second printed circuit board are connected.

[FIG. 4] A method for inserting the connection terminal of the first printed circuit board into the terminal accommodating portion of the relay connector is shown, (A) is a front view, and (B) is a left side view.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the connection terminal of the first printed circuit board is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion of the relay connector, (A) is a front view, and (B) is a left side view.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a drawing showing a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a conventional problem.

Explanation of symbols

[0015] 10 Relay connector

11 Housing

12 Long section

13 Short section

14 Long first terminal compartment

15 Short second terminal housing

16 Guide rib

16a Step 20 1st relay terminal

21 Second relay terminal

30 laminates

40 1st printed circuit board

41, 42, 61, 62 Connection terminal

43 Insulating substrate

43a Notch

45, 53, 63 conductors

50 Second printed circuit board

60 3rd printed circuit board

100 electrical junction box

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an electric junction box 100 has bus bars 31 and insulating plates 32 alternately arranged in a case in which an upper case 101, an intermediate case 102, and a lower case 103 are assembled. The laminated body 30 and the three printed circuit boards 40, 50, 60 stacked on each other are accommodated and fixed at intervals in the vertical direction, and the conductors of the three printed circuit boards 40, 50, 60 are connected via the relay connector 10. Connected.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1 (A), the relay connector 10 is provided with a stepped portion at the center on the lower surface side of the horizontally long housing 11, and the central portion in the length direction is formed into a long and long portion 12 that extends vertically. At the same time, both sides of the long part 12 are short parts 13 that are short in the vertical direction. Note that the upper surface side of the housing 11 is not provided with a stepped portion, and the upper surface has the same height.

[0018] The long portion 12 and the short portion 13 are provided with terminal accommodating portions 14 and 15 penetrating vertically. The first terminal accommodating portion 14 of the long portion 12 accommodates the first relay terminal 20 having female terminal fitting portions 20a and 20b at both ends. On the other hand, the second terminal accommodating portion 15 of the short portion 13 accommodates the second relay terminal 21 having one female terminal fitting portion 21a and a connection piece 21b that is directly connected to the conductor of the substrate. As shown in FIG. 3, the second relay terminal 21 is provided with an electrical contact portion by folding the metal piece on the upper side of the female terminal fitting portion 21a inward, so that the connection terminal 4 Even if 2 is inserted in either the vertical direction, the connection terminal 42 is sandwiched between the electrical contact portions, and electrical connection becomes possible.

Further, a guide rib 16 protrudes upward from the rear surface 11a of the housing 11 with a gap in the length direction of the housing 11 (a direction in which the terminal accommodating portions are arranged in parallel). On the inner surface side, a stepped portion 16a is provided which has a step and has horizontal force. The insulating substrate 43 of the first printed circuit board 40, which will be described later, is provided with a notch 43a at a position facing the guide rib 16. The relative position between the insulating substrate 43 and the relay connector 10 is defined in the notch 43a through the guide rib 16. ing.

[0020] The relay connector 10 is fixed to a second printed circuit board 50 that is disposed at an intermediate position between the three printed circuit boards 40, 50, and 60. The insulating substrate 51 of the second printed circuit board 50 is provided with a notch 51a, and the lower protruding portion of the long portion 12 of the relay connector 10 is passed through the notch 5la and the lower surface of the short portion 13 is insulated. The relay connector 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 51, and is bolted and fixed (not shown) to the insulating substrate 51 of the second print substrate 50. The insulating substrate 51 is provided with a through hole that communicates with the second terminal accommodating portion 15 of the relay connector 10, and is passed through the connection terminal 62 that inserts a downward force into the second terminal accommodating portion 15.

In addition, the connection piece 21b for connecting the board of the second relay terminal 21 housed in the second terminal housing part 15 of the short part 13 has the lower end force of the relay connector 10 projecting as shown in FIG. 50 insulating plates 51 are passed through and connected to the conductor 53 of the second printed circuit board 50 by soldering.

In the first terminal accommodating portion 14 of the long portion 12 of the relay connector 10, the connection terminal 41 soldered to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 is inserted into the first terminal accommodating portion 14, and the first relay terminal 20 The connection terminal 61 soldered to the conductor 63 of the third printed circuit board 60 is inserted and connected to the female terminal fitting portion 20a, and the female terminal fitting portion 20b of the first relay terminal 20 is inserted. The connection terminals 41 and 61 are connected via the first relay terminal 20.

On the other hand, the connection terminal 42 soldered to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 is connected to the second terminal accommodating part 15 of the short part 13 of the relay connector 10 from above or to the conductor 63 of the third printed circuit board 60. The connected connection terminal 62 is inserted into the lower cover and connected to the female terminal fitting portion 21a of the second relay terminal 21, and the connection terminal 42 or the connection terminal 62 is connected via the second relay terminal 21. It is connected to the conductor 53 of the second printed circuit board 50.

[0022] When inserting the connection terminals 41 and 42 that are electrically connected to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 into the terminal accommodating portions 14 and 15 of the relay connector 10, as shown in FIG. Is placed close to the relay connector 10 fixed to the second printed circuit board 50, before the tips of the connection terminals 41, 42 of the first printed circuit board 40 are inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 14, 15 of the relay connector 10. The leading end of the guide rib 16 of the relay connector 10 is inserted into a notch 43 a provided at a required location of the insulating substrate 43 of the first printed circuit board 40. As a result, the left-right direction X of the first printed circuit board 40 with respect to the relay connector 10 is restricted. Therefore, when the first printed circuit board 40 is further pushed into the relay connector 10 side, as shown in FIG. The connection terminals 41 and 42 of the printed circuit board 40 are securely inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 14 and 15 of the relay connector 10. Further, the peripheral edge portion of the notch 43a of the first printed circuit board 40 is placed on the stepped portion 16a provided at the predetermined height position of the guide rib 16, and the distance between the relay connector 10 and the first printed circuit board 40 is defined.

4 and 5, the illustration of the intermediate case 102 interposed between the first printed circuit board 40 and the relay connector 10 is omitted. Actually, the connection terminals 41 and 42 of the first printed circuit board 40 are omitted. The guide rib 16 of the relay connector 10 projects through the through hole provided in the intermediate case 102 and protrudes to the opposite side of the intermediate case 102.

[0023] Of the connection terminals connected to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40, the connection terminals 44 not connected to the relay connector 10 are the fuse housing portion 104, the relay housing portion 105, and the connector provided in the upper case 101. Projecting to the connector housing portion 107 provided in the housing portion 106 or the intermediate case 102 is connected to an external circuit connected to a fuse, a relay, or a connector, respectively.

Further, a tab (not shown) provided by bending the bus bar 31 of the multilayer body 30 downward is connected to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40.

[0024] The connection terminal 52 is also connected to the conductor 53 of the second printed circuit board 50 by soldering, and the connection terminal 52 protrudes into the connector housing portion 108 provided in the lower case 103 and is connected to an external circuit. ing.

According to the above configuration, the first relay terminal 20 accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion 14 of the elongated portion 12 of the relay connector 10 and the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 via the connection terminals 41 and 61 3rd pre The conductor 63 of the printed circuit board 60 can be electrically connected, and the second relay terminal 21 housed in the second terminal housing section 15 of the short section 13 and the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 are connected to the second via the connection terminal. The conductor 53 of the printed circuit board 50 or the conductor 63 of the third printed circuit board 60 and the conductor 53 of the second printed circuit board 50 can be electrically connected. Thus, according to the relay connector 10, the conductors 45, 53, 63 of the three printed circuit boards 40, 50, 60 can be connected to each other with one connector.

[0026] Since the relay connector 10 is provided with the guide rib 16 and the relay connector 10 and the first printed circuit board 40 are positioned in advance, the connection terminals 41, 42 connected to the conductor 45 of the first printed circuit board 40 are provided. Can be securely inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 14 and 15 of the relay connector 10. Further, since the relay connector 10 and the first printed circuit board 40 are positioned with a predetermined gap between the relay connector 10 and the first printed circuit board 40 by the step portion 16a of the guide rib 16, the relay connector 10 The connection terminals 41 and 42 can be accurately inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 14 and 15 by the set dimensions, and the connection terminals 41 and 42 and the relay terminals 14 and 15 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, the first printed circuit board 40 can be supported by the stepped portion 16a.

In the present embodiment, since the relay connector 10 is disposed along the periphery of the first printed circuit board 40, the insulating substrate 43 of the first printed circuit board 40 is provided with a notch 43a through which the guide rib 16 passes. When the force relay connector 10 is arranged at a position facing the center of the first printed circuit board 40, a through hole is provided in the insulating substrate 43 and the guide rib 16 is passed through.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the first relay terminal 20 ′ accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion 14 ′ is different from the first embodiment. That is, the long first relay terminal 20 ′ is provided with a connection piece 20c ′ similar to the second relay terminal, and connected to the conductor 53 ′ of the second printed circuit board 50 ′, and the first to third printed circuit boards 40, 50, 60, conductors 45, 53, 63 are all configured to be electrically connected.

Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

Industrial applicability

[0028] The relay connector of the present invention is used for connection of a circuit body such as a printed circuit board accommodated in a case of an electrical connection box mounted on an automobile, and in particular, a conductor of three printed circuit boards. Are preferably used to connect each other.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A relay connector for electrically connecting conductors housed in an electrical junction box and layered in the electrical junction box,

The second terminal accommodating portion accommodates a short second relay terminal, and the second relay terminal has a connection terminal of a conductor accommodated in the electrical connection box inserted and connected from one side and the second relay terminal. An intermediate connector characterized in that the connecting piece protruding from the terminal cap is shaped to be directly connectable to another conductor.

[2] The first relay terminal includes a female-female terminal fitting portion into which the connection terminal is inserted and connected on both sides in the length direction, and includes the connection piece protruding to the side, and is connected to three conductors. The relay connector according to claim 1, which is a possible shape.

[3] One end side in the length direction of the first terminal accommodating portion and the second terminal accommodating portion is set at the same height, while the other end side is provided with a step difference from the second terminal accommodating portion. The relay connector according to claim 1, wherein the relay connector is protruded.

[4] The housing force is also provided with a guide rib projecting, and the guide rib is fitted into a notch or a through-hole formed in the substrate provided with the conductor to define a relative position of the substrate with respect to the housing. The intermediate connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[5] The structure according to claim 4, wherein the guide rib is provided with a stepped portion, and the stepped portion is brought into contact with a notch of the substrate or a peripheral portion of the through hole so as to define a distance between the substrate and the housing. The described relay connector.