JP7540938B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector that includes a connector housing, a plurality of pin-shaped terminals, and a circuit board.

The connector disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is configured with an insulating connector housing, a plurality of conductive pin-shaped terminals, a circuit board having a desired circuit pattern, and an insulating cover assembled to the connector housing so as to cover the circuit board. The connector housing has a connector fitting portion into which the mating connector fits, a board accommodating portion in which the circuit board is housed, and a partition wall between them in which the plurality of pin-shaped terminals are disposed. After the circuit board is inserted into the plurality of pin-shaped terminals, it is electrically connected by soldering. The cover is fixed to the board accommodating portion by fitting.

JP 2010-140775 A

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the circuit board is inserted into multiple pin-shaped terminals, and if the multiple pin-shaped terminals and the through-holes in the circuit board are not aligned during insertion, this can cause problems during work. The inventors of the present application therefore tried to improve workability by providing positioning pins, but found that this had the following problems:

That is, the connector 1 shown in FIG. 11(a) is configured with a connector housing 2, a plurality of pin-shaped terminals 3, a circuit board 4, and a cover (not shown). The connector housing 2 has three positioning pins 5 formed thereon. When the circuit board 4 is inserted into the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 3, the three positioning pins 5 of the connector housing 2 are first inserted into the positioning holes 6 of the circuit board 4, thereby positioning the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 3 and the through holes 7 of the circuit board 4. Therefore, this positioning allows the circuit board 4 to be smoothly inserted into the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 3, thereby improving workability. However, although workability can be improved, the three positioning pins 5 and positioning holes 6 cause board waste portions 8 in the parts of the circuit board 4 shown in the shaded areas of FIG. 11(b), which is a problem that leads to increased costs. In addition, the circuit board 4 becomes larger, which also causes the connector 1 to become larger.

The board waste portion 8 refers to the portion where a circuit pattern cannot be provided due to the presence of the positioning hole 6. As shown in FIG. 11(b), the positioning hole 6 is formed to be located inside the circuit board 4, making it difficult to efficiently extend the circuit pattern toward the through hole 7, resulting in a large board waste portion 8.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a connector that can prevent increases in costs and reduce the size of the circuit board.

The connector of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is a connector comprising an insulating connector housing, a plurality of conductive pin-shaped terminals, and a circuit board having a desired circuit pattern, wherein the plurality of pin-shaped terminals have board connection portions extending from a terminal lead-out portion of the connector housing, and tips of the board connection portions are inserted into through holes in the circuit board and connected to contact the circuit pattern, the circuit board has positioning portions formed in at least two locations on an outer peripheral portion that forms the outer shape of the circuit board, the connector housing has positioning protrusions formed in at least two locations on the terminal lead-out portion that protrude longer than the tips of the board connection portions and engage with the positioning portions, the circuit board has an outer peripheral portion formed into a shape having four corners and four edges, and the positioning portions are formed at the positions of the two corners located at both ends of one of the edges, the connector further comprises an insulating cover that covers the circuit board and is assembled to the connector housing, and the positioning protrusions protruding from the terminal lead-out portion are also formed as guide portions when the cover is assembled .

According to the present invention having the features of claim 1, a positioning portion is formed on the outer surface of the circuit board, and a positioning protrusion is formed on the terminal lead-out portion of the connector housing, so that the positions of the circuit board and the multiple pin-shaped terminals are determined by the engagement of these positioning portion and positioning protrusion, and as a result, the circuit board can be smoothly inserted into the multiple pin-shaped terminals (in other words, the multiple pin-shaped terminals can be smoothly inserted into the circuit board). Furthermore, according to the present invention, the positioning portion is formed on the outer surface of the circuit board, not on the inside, so that it is positioned in a way that does not affect the circuit pattern, and as a result, it is possible to prevent unnecessary portions from being generated on the circuit board. This makes it possible to prevent the circuit board and connector from becoming larger.

Furthermore, according to the present invention having the features of claim 1 , it is possible to provide a better embodiment relating to the arrangement of the positioning portion and the positioning protrusion.
Furthermore, according to the present invention having the features of claim 1, the positioning protrusions of the connector housing also function as guide portions when the cover is attached, so that the workability of the entire connector can be improved.

The present invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the connector described in claim 1 , the positioning portion is formed in a cutout portion that is L-shaped when viewed in a plane, and two guide surfaces are arranged in an L-shape on the positioning convex portion.

According to the present invention having the features of claim 2 , it is possible to provide a better embodiment relating to the shapes of the positioning portion and the positioning protrusion.

The present invention has the effect of preventing increases in costs and reducing the size of the circuit board by eliminating unnecessary parts on the circuit board.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protector and a mating connector are removed from FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover is removed from FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state as seen from the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a circuit board is removed from FIG. 4 (a perspective view showing a state before the circuit board is assembled); FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of pin-shaped terminals are inserted into a circuit board (the circuit board is in a state before being cut). FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken at the right end of FIG. 8 , showing a state in which a plurality of pin-shaped terminals are being inserted into a circuit board (an enlarged view is shown within the frame). FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of pin-shaped terminals are inserted into a circuit board. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of pin-shaped terminals are inserted into a circuit board, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the circuit board, illustrating a problem with the prior art.

The connector comprises a connector housing, multiple pin-shaped terminals, a circuit board, and a cover. The multiple pin-shaped terminals have board connection portions extending from the terminal lead-out portion of the connector housing, and the tips of the board connection portions are inserted into through holes in the circuit board to connect to the circuit pattern. The circuit board has at least two positioning portions formed on its outer shape. The connector housing has positioning protrusions formed on at least two positions on the terminal lead-out portion that protrude longer than the tips of the board connection portions and engage with the positioning portions.

The following describes the embodiment with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the connector of the present invention. Also, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the protector and the mating connector are removed from Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which the cover is removed from Figure 2, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the state as seen from the direction of the arrow A in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a bottom view of the circuit board, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the state before the circuit board is assembled, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the state when multiple pin-shaped terminals are inserted into the circuit board, Figure 8 is an enlarged view of Figure 7, Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view at the right end position of Figure 8, and Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the state in which multiple pin-shaped terminals are inserted into the circuit board.

<Regarding Connector 11>
In FIG. 1, the connector 11 is fixed to a predetermined position, for example, in an automobile, by a protector 13 in a state where a plurality of mating connectors 12 are connected. The connector 11 of this embodiment is formed so that six mating connectors 12 can be connected side by side (the number of mating connectors 12 is an example). Taking the leftmost connector in FIG. 1 as a representative example, the mating connector 12 is configured to include a mating connector housing 14 and a plurality of mating female terminals (not shown) provided at each end of a plurality of electric wires 15. The mating connector housing 14 has a known lock arm. The mating female terminals are formed so as to be connectable to pin-shaped terminals 21 (described later). On the other hand, the protector 13 is formed in the illustrated shape with a bottomed box-shaped connector accommodating portion 16, a plurality of connector lock portions 17, and a vehicle body fixing portion 18. The vehicle body fixing portion 18 is formed with a circular bolt insertion hole 19 for inserting a bolt (not shown) used for fixing.

In Figures 1 to 4, the connector 11 is configured to include a connector housing 20, a plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21, a circuit board 22, and a cover 23. The connector 11 is configured so that there is no wasted portion on the circuit board 22 (e.g., board wasted portion 8 in Figure 11). The connector 11 is formed so that the wasted portion can be suppressed to prevent an increase in costs, and the circuit board 22 and the connector 11 itself can be made smaller. As can be seen from the above configuration and the drawings, the connector 11 is of a type that is built into the board.

<Regarding the Connector Housing 20>
2, 3, 4, 6, and 9, the connector housing 20 is an insulating resin molded product, and has a plurality of connector fitting portions 24-29 that become fitting portions with a plurality of mating connectors 12. The connector fitting portions 24-29 are arranged and formed so as to be continuous and side-by-side. A plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21 are fixed in an aligned state to a partition wall 30 located on the inner side as viewed from the openings of the connector fitting portions 24-29. In this embodiment, a plurality of terminal fixing portions 31 are integrally formed on the outer surface of the partition wall 30. Here, if the portion including the terminal fixing portion 31 and the outer surface of the partition wall 30 (the portion from which the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21 are drawn out) is referred to as a terminal lead-out portion 32, two board contact portions 33 and 34 are formed on each of the terminal lead-out portions 32. The board contact portions 33 and 34 are formed so as to abut against the circuit board 22. Of these four contact portions, the two board contact portions 33 are arranged at positions that are both the left and right ends of the connector housing 20. The two board contact portions 34 are disposed at a predetermined interval between the board contact portions 33, 33. In addition to the board contact portions 33, 34, the terminal lead-out portion 32 is also formed with two positioning protrusions 35 (formed in two locations).

<Regarding the positioning protrusion 35>
3, 4, 6, and 9, the two positioning protrusions 35 are formed in a columnar shape protruding from the terminal lead-out portion 32. The two positioning protrusions 35 are formed so as to be able to determine the positions of the circuit board 22 and the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21. The two positioning protrusions 35 are arranged in accordance with the positions of positioning portions 47 of the circuit board 22, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the two positioning protrusions 35 are arranged at two of the four corners of the terminal lead-out portion 32. The two positioning protrusions 35 are formed long such that the tip 36 is farther away from the terminal lead-out portion 32 than each tip 43 of the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21. That is, the two positioning protrusions 35 are formed so as to protrude outward longer than the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21. The two positioning protrusions 35 are formed so as to engage with the circuit board 22 before the plurality of pin-shaped terminals 21.

Since the two positioning protrusions 35 have the same shape, only one of them will be described from here. In FIG. 10, the positioning protrusion 35 has two guide surfaces 37 formed on its inside. The two guide surfaces 37 are arranged in an L-shape. The two inner guide surfaces 37 are formed so that they can engage with the positioning portion 47 of the circuit board 22, which will be described later, and can guide the positioning portion 47. The positioning protrusion 35 also has two guide surfaces 38 formed on its outside. The two outer guide surfaces 38 are formed so that they can guide the cover 23 (see FIG. 2) when the cover 23 is assembled to the connector housing 20. The positioning protrusion 35 is formed so that its side has an L-shaped convex shape. Note that a taper 39 as shown in FIG. 9 may be formed on the tip 36 of the positioning protrusion 35, and the taper 39 may be used to guide the circuit board 22.

<Regarding multiple pin-shaped terminals 21>
3, 4, 6, and 9, the pin-shaped terminals 21 are conductive pin-shaped male terminals, and each terminal has an electrical contact portion 40 that protrudes into the connector fitting portions 24-29, an intermediate fixing portion 41 that is fixed to the bulkhead 30 or the terminal fixing portion 31, and a board connecting portion 42 that extends from the terminal lead-out portion 32. The board connecting portion 42 is inserted from its tip 43 into a through-hole 48 (described later) of the circuit board 22. The board connecting portion 42 is electrically connected to a circuit pattern (not shown) of the circuit board 22 by soldering. The board connecting portion 42 may be formed in a straight shape as in this embodiment, or in an L-shape that is bent 90 degrees midway.

<Circuit Board 22 and Positioning Portion 47>
In Figures 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9, the circuit board 22 is formed in an outer shape according to the size of the terminal lead-out portion 32 of the connector housing 20 (the outer shape is formed into a rectangle, a strip shape, a square, a trapezoid, a parallelogram, or the like). Here, if the part of the circuit board 22 that forms the outer shape is called an outer shape portion 44, the outer shape portion 44 is formed to have four corners 45 and four edges 46 as shown in Figure 5. In such a circuit board 22, two positioning portions 47 are formed (formed in two places) at the positions of the two corners 45 arranged at both ends of one edge portion 46. The two positioning portions 47 are each formed so as to recess the outer shape portion 44 (corners 45) inwardly of the board as shown in the figures. Specifically, the two positioning portions 47 are each formed so as to be L-shaped notches in a plan view. The two positioning portions 47 are formed by cutting out the two positioning protrusions 35 according to their shapes. The two positioning portions 47 are disposed at positions that are unlikely to affect a circuit pattern (not shown) extending from a through hole 48 of the circuit board 22. Although not specifically shown, a circuit pattern is formed in a portion of the circuit board 22 designated by reference numeral 49 (circuit pattern forming portion 49). The circuit pattern forming portion 49 is formed differently from the board waste portion 8 shown in FIG.

<About cover 23>
2, the cover 23 is an insulating resin molded product that covers the circuit board 22 and is formed in a box shape with a bottom, which is to be assembled to the connector housing 20. When assembling the cover 23, a guide groove 51 of the cover 23 is guided by a guide rib 50 of the connector housing 20. In addition, a locking frame portion 53 of the cover 23 is locked to a locking projection 52 of the connector housing 20.

<Regarding Positioning of the Pin-Shaped Terminals 21 and the Through-Hole 48>
7 to 9, when the connector housing 20 to which the pin-shaped terminals 21 are fixed is moved along the Y direction in the drawings, the two positioning protrusions 35 of the connector housing 20 are engaged in a state of being inserted into the two positioning portions 47 of the circuit board 22. At the time of this engagement, the positions of the pin-shaped terminals 21 and the through-holes 48 are determined along the X direction. After this, when the connector housing 20 is continued to be moved in a pushing manner in the Z direction, the tips 43 of the pin-shaped terminals 21 are positioned directly above the through-holes 48. That is, the positioning is completed, and the pin-shaped terminals 21 are inserted into the through-holes 48 as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 10. The insertion of the pin-shaped terminals 21 and the through-holes 48 is continued until the board contacting portions 33, 34 of the connector housing 20 come into contact with the circuit board 22 (until the circuit board 22 comes into contact with the board contacting portions 33, 34).

<Effects of Connector 11>
As has been explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 10, according to the connector 11 which is one embodiment of the present invention, a positioning portion 47 is formed on the outer portion 44 of the circuit board 22, and a positioning protrusion 35 is formed on the terminal lead-out portion 32 of the connector housing 20, and therefore, the positions of the through holes 48 of the circuit board 22 and the multiple pin-shaped terminals 21 are determined by engagement of these positioning portion 47 and positioning protrusion 35, so that the circuit board 22 can be smoothly inserted into the multiple pin-shaped terminals 21 (in other words, the multiple pin-shaped terminals 21 can be smoothly inserted into the circuit board 22).

In addition, according to the connector 11, the positioning portion 47 is formed on the outer portion 44 and not inside the circuit board 22, resulting in an arrangement that is less likely to affect the circuit pattern (not shown), and as a result, it is possible to prevent wasteful portions from being generated on the circuit board 22. This makes it possible to prevent the circuit board 22 and the connector 11 from becoming larger (the circuit board 22 does not exceed the size of the terminal lead-out portion 32, making it possible to prevent the connector 11 from becoming larger).

In addition, according to the connector 11, the positioning protrusions 35 of the connector housing 20 also function as guide parts when assembling the cover 23, improving the workability of the connector 11 as a whole.

In this embodiment, the positioning portions 47 are formed at two corners 45 of the outer portion 44 of the circuit board 22, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the positioning portions 47 may be formed at three of the four corners 45, or the edge portion 46 may be recessed.

Of course, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 11...connector, 12...mating connector, 13...protector, 14...mating connector housing, 15...electric wire, 16...connector accommodating portion, 17...connector locking portion, 18...vehicle body fixing portion, 19...bolt insertion hole, 20...connector housing, 21...pin-shaped terminal, 22...circuit board, 23...cover, 24-29...connector fitting portion, 30...partition wall, 31...terminal fixing portion, 32...terminal lead-out portion, 33, 34...board contact portion, 35...positioning protrusion, 36...tip, 37, 38...guiding surface, 39...taper, 40...electrical contact portion, 41...intermediate fixing portion, 42...board connection portion, 43...tip, 44...outer portion, 45...corner portion, 46...edge portion, 47...positioning portion, 48...through hole, 49... Circuit pattern forming part, 50... Guide rib, 51... Guide groove, 52... Locking projection, 53... Locking frame part

Claims (2)

A connector comprising an insulating connector housing, a plurality of conductive pin-shaped terminals, and a circuit board having a desired circuit pattern,
The plurality of pin-shaped terminals have board connection portions extending from terminal lead-out portions of the connector housing, and tips of the board connection portions are inserted into through holes of the circuit board and connected to the circuit pattern,
The circuit board has at least two positioning portions formed on an outer surface of the circuit board,
The connector housing has positioning protrusions formed at at least two locations on the terminal lead-out portion , the positioning protrusions protruding longer than the tip of the board connection portion and adapted to engage with the positioning portion,
The circuit board has an outer portion formed in a shape having four corners and four edges, and the positioning portions are formed at the positions of two corners arranged at both ends of one of the edges,
The connector further includes an insulating cover that covers the circuit board and is attached to the connector housing, and the positioning protrusion that protrudes from the terminal lead-out portion is also formed as a guide portion when the cover is attached.
A connector characterized by: 2. The connector according to claim 1 ,
The connector, characterized in that the positioning portion is formed in a cutout portion that is L-shaped in a plan view, and the positioning protrusion has two guide surfaces arranged in an L-shape.

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