JP7679247B2 - Circuit board connection terminals - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connection terminal for a circuit board.

A circuit board built into an electronic device such as a personal computer has many electronic components mounted thereon, and when electrically connecting, for example, to another circuit board (hereafter referred to as the mating board) disposed near the circuit board, connection terminals are provided on the circuit board. Wires, bus bars, etc. are extended from the mating board, and the connection terminals (hereafter referred to as the mating terminals) provided at the ends of these are connected to the connection terminals on the circuit board.

Since electronic components are arranged around the connection terminal, the mating terminal is connected to the connection terminal from above to avoid these. This type of connection from above is possible regardless of the orientation of the connection terminal at any angle within 360° in a plan view. Furthermore, since the extension direction of the wiring and busbars, and thus the orientation of the mating terminal, change depending on the arrangement of the mating board relative to the circuit board, the orientation of the connection terminal is set to match this orientation.

In more detail, in the case of a rigid busbar, the posture of the mating terminal at its tip is determined by the arrangement of the mating board and the shape of the busbar, so if the posture of the connection terminal does not match, connection is impossible. Also, in the case of flexible wiring, connection is possible even if the postures of the terminals do not match. However, in this case, excessive force continues to act on the wiring, which can damage the wiring itself or cause the soldered points on the mating board to which the wiring is connected to peel off, creating durability problems. To prevent such problems, efforts are made to match the postures of the terminals when designing circuit boards.

However, electronic devices such as computers that incorporate circuit boards are not necessarily operated according to the original design specifications. For example, the arrangement of the mating board relative to the circuit board may change due to design changes. In the case of bus bars, this requires specification changes such as changing the position of the connection terminals on the circuit board or changing the shape of the bus bar in order to resolve connection impossibility. Similarly, in the case of wiring, specification changes such as changing the position of the connection terminals on the circuit board may be required, and if no measures are taken, excessive force will be applied to the wiring, reducing its durability.

On the other hand, as a technology relating to terminal connection structures, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal structure intended for vehicle batteries, which aims to simplify the work of connecting terminals to battery posts.

In terms of its structure, a tapered, elliptical fastening ring has a slot through which the electric wire from the vehicle body is connected. A pair of protrusions are formed at the long diameter of the inner periphery of the fastening ring, which is fitted onto the outside of a cylindrical battery post. A similarly tapered, elliptical rotating ring is fitted onto the fastening ring, which can be rotated by an operating lever on one side, thus forming the terminal.

When the long and short diameters of the rotating ring are aligned with the fastening ring, and the rotating ring is rotated 90° using the operating lever, the short diameter of the rotating ring presses the long diameter of the fastening ring inward. As a result, the battery post is clamped and fastened from both sides by the protrusions, and the terminal is connected to the battery post.

In the terminal structure of Patent Document 1, a rotation prevention plate that engages with the side of the battery is provided on the fastening ring to prevent unintended rotation of the fastening ring when the rotating ring is rotated. If the rotation prevention plate is omitted, the terminal can be connected to the battery post at any angle of 360°. Therefore, it is conceivable that this terminal structure can be applied to a connection terminal for a circuit board, and if the attitude of the mating terminal changes due to a design change or the like, the attitude of the connection terminal can be changed accordingly.

Patent No. 2882283

However, when the terminal structure of Patent Document 1 is applied to a connection terminal for a circuit board, problems arise in that it lacks versatility and increases manufacturing costs.

In the terminal structure of Patent Document 1, an annular tightening ring and a rotating ring are fitted onto the outside of a cylindrical battery post. Therefore, when this terminal structure is applied to a connection terminal for a circuit board, a connection terminal equivalent to the battery post is provided on the circuit board side, and a mating terminal equivalent to the terminal is provided on the tip of the wiring or bus bar from the mating board.

General connection terminals and mating terminals are manufactured as female and male terminals formed by bending a metal plate, for example, but because the structure on both the battery post side and the terminal side is far removed from this, it must be said that they lack versatility. And because the mating terminal in particular needs to have a complex terminal structure, the overall manufacturing costs rise.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to provide a connection terminal for circuit boards that can connect to a mating terminal without requiring specification changes even when the orientation of the mating terminal changes along with the extension direction of the wiring or bus bar from the mating board due to design changes, and that is highly versatile and can be used without increasing manufacturing costs.

In order to achieve the above object, a connection terminal for a circuit board of the present invention is a connection terminal that is mounted on a circuit board and to which a mating terminal is connected, and includes a fixed casing having a fixed contact soldered onto the circuit board, a movable casing coupled to the fixed casing rotatably about an axis line substantially perpendicular to the circuit board, a movable contact that is attached to the movable casing and can connect to the mating terminal from the opposite side to the circuit board, and a conductive member that electrically connects the fixed contact and the movable contact regardless of the angle of the movable casing about the axis line , and the movable casing is arranged so that a main body portion facing the fixed contact is aligned with the axis line. a contact accommodating chamber is formed on the surface of the main body facing the fixed contact, the movable contact is manufactured by bending a metal plate and disposed within the contact accommodating chamber, a conductive member is elastically interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact to electrically connect the fixed contact and the movable contact, and is folded back integrally from one side of the movable contact to form an elastic piece with a tip end elastically abutting a position on the fixed contact in the vicinity of the axis, the fixed contact has a gas vent hole formed on the axis for soldering to a circuit board, and the tip end of the elastic piece has a relief portion formed in correspondence with the gas vent hole .

With a connection terminal for a circuit board configured in this manner, wires and bus bars are extended from a mating board or the like arranged close to the circuit board, and the mating terminal at the tip of the wires and bus bars is connected to the movable contact of the connection terminal on the circuit board. For example, if the arrangement of the mating board relative to the circuit board is changed, the extension direction of the wires and bus bars, and therefore the attitude of the mating terminal, changes accordingly. In the present invention, the movable casing can be freely rotated around the axis, so that the attitude of the movable contact around the axis can be changed in response to the attitude of the mating terminal, thereby making it possible to connect the mating terminal.

And because the attitude of the movable contact can be changed to match that of the mating terminal in this way, conventional mating terminals can be used without requiring specification changes. For example, since it is possible to attach general female or male terminals as movable contacts to the movable casing, in that case general male or female terminals can be used as mating terminals, achieving high versatility.

Furthermore , since the fixed contacts, the conductive member, and the movable contacts are arranged together on the axis, the area occupied by the contacts on the circuit board is reduced.

In another embodiment, the fixed casing is cylindrical with the fixed contact at its bottom and opening toward the opposite side to the circuit board, with the axis as its center, and the main body of the movable casing is arranged inside the fixed casing in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis, and the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the movable casing is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixed casing to guide rotation around the axis, while the opposing surface of the main body faces the fixed contact at a predetermined distance to define a conductive chamber, and the conductive member is arranged inside the conductive chamber.

When configured in this way, simply disposing the main body of the movable casing inside the fixed casing guides the rotation of the movable casing around the axis by the sliding contact between the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the two casings, and defines a conductive chamber for disposing the elastic piece. By adopting such a rational structure, it is possible to reduce the number of parts while still providing the desired functionality to the connection terminal.

In addition , by integrating the elastic piece into the movable contact, it is possible to manufacture a movable contact equipped with an elastic piece without increasing the number of processes. In addition, the work of assembling the connection terminal can be easily performed without handling the minute elastic piece as a single item.

As the movable casing rotates, the tip of the elastic piece slides over the fixed contact point, but because the sliding contact point is located close to the axis, the amount of wear is reduced and durability is improved.

In addition , since the gas vent hole of the fixed contact is exposed through the recess of the elastic piece, gas generated from the molten solder when the fixed contact is soldered can escape without being hindered by the elastic piece, thereby preventing defective soldering, etc.

In another embodiment, the recess of the elastic piece may be formed by cutting out the tip of the elastic piece, and the tip of the elastic piece may be divided into two by the recess so that both sides of the gas vent hole abut against the fixed contact.

When configured in this way, the gas vent hole of the fixed contact is exposed through the tip of the split elastic piece, so normal gas venting function is maintained. At the same time, the two sliding contact points are positioned close to the axis, so the amount of wear during rotation of the movable casing is reduced. And because the elastic piece abuts on the fixed contact at two points on either side of the axis L, contact between the contacts is stable, preventing contact failure, and the contact area of both contacts is increased, increasing the current capacity of the connection terminal.

In another embodiment, multiple hooks may be formed on the outer periphery of the movable casing so as to surround the fixed casing, and each hook may be hooked to the fixed casing from the outer periphery to prevent the main body of the movable casing from coming out of the fixed casing.

When configured in this way, the inner circumferential surface of the fixed casing that guides the rotation of the movable casing and the outer circumferential surface of the main body are arranged on the outer circumferential side of the movable contact on the axis, and a latching portion that prevents the main body from coming loose is arranged on the outer circumferential side. In this way, the components are arranged in three layers, inside and outside, when viewed in a plane, reducing the area they occupy on the circuit board.

The connection terminals of the circuit board of the present invention can be used to connect the mating terminals without changing the specifications even if the orientation of the mating terminal changes along with the extension direction of the wiring or bus bar from the mating board due to design changes, and can be used with high versatility without increasing manufacturing costs.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection terminal of the circuit board according to the embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 showing the connection terminal. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection terminal. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1 showing the connection terminal. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 2 showing the connection terminal. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the connection terminal, taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a connection terminal for circuit boards embodying the present invention will be described.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a connection terminal of the circuit board of this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the connection terminal, and in the following description, the upper side in Fig. 1 is expressed as the upper side (corresponding to the "opposite side of the circuit board" of the present invention) and the lower side is expressed as the lower side (corresponding to the "circuit board side" of the present invention). Note that the circuit board 1 of this embodiment is built into a personal computer and is equipped with electronic components (not shown) for controlling its operation, but the application is not limited to personal computers and can be used in various electronic devices.

In the computer, another circuit board (not shown, hereafter referred to as the mating board) is disposed in front of the circuit board 1 shown in FIG. 1. As described below, the connection terminal 2 is connected to a connection terminal (hereafter referred to as the mating terminal 4) at the tip of a wire 3 extending from the mating board, and the two boards are electrically connected.

Overall, the connection terminal 2 is composed of a fixed casing 6 having a fixed contact 5, a movable casing 7 rotatably connected to the fixed casing 6, a movable contact 8 attached to the movable casing 7, and an elastic piece 9 (corresponding to the "conductive member" of the present invention) integrally formed with the movable contact 8.

The fixed casing 6 is insert-molded from a synthetic resin material with the fixed contact 5 as an insert. The fixed contact 5 is manufactured, for example, by pressing a metal plate. The fixed contact 5 is in the shape of a circular dish that opens upward and is centered on an axis L that extends vertically perpendicular to the circuit board 1, and its bottom surface 5a is soldered to a wiring pattern (not shown) on the circuit board 1.

A gas vent hole 5b is provided on the central axis L of the bottom surface portion 5a. During soldering, gas generated from the molten solder is released upward through this gas vent hole 5b, and the gas vent hole 5b is then filled with solidified solder 10. Since the solder area of the bottom surface portion 5a is circular in plan view, gas from any part of the solder area is reliably released through the gas vent hole 5b located in the center, thereby preventing problems such as poor soldering.

The resin portion of the fixed casing 6 extends upward from the outer periphery of the fixed contact 5 to form a cylinder. As a result, the overall shape of the fixed casing 6 is a bottomed cylinder that opens upward, with the fixed contact 5 at its bottom and the axis L at its center. A guide slope 6a is formed around the entire outer periphery of the fixed casing 6, with a tapered cross section that widens downward. When the movable casing 7 is connected to the fixed casing 6, the guide slope 6a guides the latch claw 14c, which will be described later.

For example, the movable casing 7 is injection molded from a synthetic resin material, and is formed integrally with the main body 12, top surface 13, and outer peripheral annular portion 14. The main body 12 is cylindrical with the axis L as its center, the top surface 13 protrudes outward from the top of the main body 12, and the outer peripheral annular portion 14 extends downward in a ring shape from the outer periphery of the top surface 13, surrounding the main body 12.

The main body 12 is disposed inside the fixed casing 6 from above, and the outer peripheral surface 12a of the main body 12 abuts against the inner peripheral surface 6b of the fixed casing 6. Therefore, the movable casing 7 is guided in rotation about the axis L while the outer peripheral surface 12a of the main body 12 slides against the inner peripheral surface 6b of the fixed casing 6.

When assembled to the fixed casing 6, the outer circumferential ring portion 14 of the movable casing 7 is positioned on the outer circumferential side of the fixed casing 6 and surrounds it. A total of eight slits 14a are formed from below in the outer circumferential ring portion 14, which form arm portions 14b (corresponding to the "hook portion" of the present invention) that extend downward from the outer circumferential edge of the top surface portion 13 at four equal locations centered on the axis L. By being separated from the outer circumferential ring portion 14 by the slits 14a, each arm portion 14b is given flexibility in the direction toward and away from the axis L.

A hook 14c (corresponding to the "hook" of the present invention) is formed at the lower end of each arm portion 14b, and each hook 14c is hooked from the outer periphery to a corner 6c of the resin portion of the fixed casing 6. This prevents the main body portion 12 from being removed upward from inside the fixed casing 6, and the movable casing 7 is connected to the fixed casing 6 in the positional relationship described above. The bottom surface portion 5a of the fixed contact 5 protrudes slightly downward beyond each hook 14c, allowing it to be soldered onto the circuit board 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 1, showing the connection terminal 2, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Figure 2, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view corresponding to the line VI-VI in Figure 4.

The lower surface 12b (corresponding to the "opposing surface" of the present invention) of the main body 12 of the movable casing 7 faces the bottom surface 5a of the fixed contact 5 at a predetermined distance to define a conductive chamber 15. Within the conductive chamber 15, a contact accommodating chamber 12c is formed as an opening at a position on the axis L of the lower surface 12b of the main body 12, and the contact accommodating chamber 12c is drilled upward with a square cross section, and its upper end reaches the vicinity of the top surface 13.

The movable contact 8 is disposed in the contact accommodating chamber 12c, and is manufactured, for example, by pressing a metal plate. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the movable contact 8 is made up of a flat base surface portion 8a disposed in the conductive chamber 15, and a pair of contact portions 8b bent upward from both sides of the base surface portion 8a and disposed in the contact accommodating chamber 12c.

Both contact parts 8b extend upward along the opposing inner walls of the contact accommodating chamber 12c, and are bent toward each other, with their upper ends facing each other with a small gap between them. This forms the movable contact 8 as a female terminal, and the top surface 13 of the movable casing 7 is formed with a slit-shaped terminal insertion port 13a that communicates with the inside of the contact accommodating chamber 12c, into which the mating terminal 4, configured as a male terminal as described below, is inserted and connected.

The contacts 8b are shaped so that the upper region is wider than the lower region, and therefore a step 8c is formed on each side of the contacts 8b at the boundary between the upper and lower regions. Corresponding to these four step portions 8c, a hook protrusion 12d is provided at each of the four corners of the contact accommodating chamber 12c. These hook protrusions 12d restrict downward displacement of the step portion 8c, and thus the contacts 8b from falling out of the contact accommodating chamber 12c.

The arrangement of the movable contact 8 in the contact accommodating chamber 12c is completed simply by inserting the contact portion 8b into the contact accommodating chamber 12c in the correct position corresponding to the assembled state. When the contact portions 8b are initially inserted, they bend toward each other with their wider upper regions abutting against the respective latching projections 12d. When the upper regions overcome the latching projections 12d, the contact portions 8b expand due to their own elasticity, and as a result, the stepped portions 8c are latched by the latching projections 12d and are prevented from coming loose.

An elastic piece 9 is integrally formed on the base surface portion 8a of the movable contact 8. More specifically, the elastic piece 9 is folded back from one side (the right side in FIG. 4) of the base surface portion 8a toward the axis L, and the tip portion 9a of the elastic piece 9 is bent slightly upward to form a bent portion 9b, which elastically abuts against the bottom surface portion 5a of the fixed contact 5. In other words, the elastic piece 9 is elastically interposed between the fixed contact 5 and the movable contact 8, and both contacts 5 and 8 are conductive through the elastic piece 9. In response to the reaction force caused by the abutment of the elastic piece 9, the base surface portion 8a abuts against the bottom surface 12b of the main body portion 12, urging the main body portion 12 upward, and the latch claw 14c prevents the main body portion 12 from coming out of the fixed casing 6 against this urging force.

A recess 9c is formed at the tip 9a of the elastic piece 9 in correspondence with the gas vent hole 5b of the fixed contact 5. In detail, the recess 9c is formed by cutting out an approximately U-shape from the tip side of the elastic piece 9, and the gas vent hole 5b is exposed upwardly surrounded by the recess 9c, while the bent portion 9b is divided into two and abuts against the fixed contact 5 on both sides of the axis L (corresponding to the "position close to the axis" of the present invention).

In the connection terminal 2 configured in this manner, the movable casing 7 is rotatable about the axis L relative to the fixed casing 6, as shown by the arrow A in Fig. 1. And, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, no matter what rotation angle the movable casing 7 is at within 360°, electrical continuity between the movable contact 8 and the fixed contact 5 is maintained via the elastic piece 9.
The attitude of the movable contact 8 to which the mating terminal 4 is connected is essentially the attitude of the connection terminal 2 itself, and therefore in the following description, will be referred to as the attitude of the connection terminal 2. In this way, the attitude of the connection terminal 2 refers to an angle of 360° centered on the axis L, and the attitude of the mating terminal 4 also refers to an angle centered on the axis L.

Although we will not go into detail here as this is not relevant to the gist of the present invention, for example, holes 13b and 13c on the top surface 13 of the movable casing 7 shown in FIG. 1 function as clearances for removing the latch claw 14c and the latch protrusion 12d during injection molding.

The connection terminal 2 of this embodiment is constructed as described above, and is mounted on the circuit board 1 together with other electronic components. Below, we will explain the outline of the procedure from assembling the connection terminal 2 to mounting it on the circuit board 1.

First, the fixed casing 6 with the fixed contact 5 inserted, the movable casing 7, and the movable contact 8 including the elastic piece 9 are each manufactured. Then, when the contact portion 8b of the movable contact 8 is inserted in the contact accommodating chamber 12c of the movable casing 7 in the correct position, the step portion 8c is latched by the latch protrusion 12d, preventing it from coming out of the contact accommodating chamber 12c.

Then, the movable casing 7 is placed in the correct position relative to the fixed casing 6, and the main body 12 is inserted into the fixed casing 6. As the main body 12 is inserted, each of the latching claws 14c slides along the guide slope 6a of the fixed casing 6, displacing its position in the outer circumferential direction while bending the arm portion 14b, and when the main body 12 is completely inserted, it is latched onto the corner portion 6c of the fixed casing 6. This prevents the main body 12 from coming out of the fixed casing 6, and the bent portion 9b of the elastic piece 9 elastically abuts against the bottom surface portion 5a of the fixed contact 5, completing the assembly of the connection terminal 2.

In this embodiment, the electronic components and connection terminals 2 are mounted on the circuit board 1 by reflow soldering. First, paste solder is printed on the required locations on the circuit board 1, and the connection terminals 2 are placed on the circuit board 1 together with the electronic components in predetermined positions using a chip mounter. Next, the circuit board 1 is passed through a high-temperature furnace, where the paste solder melts and the electronic components and connection terminals 2 are soldered onto the circuit board 1, completing the mounting process. However, the mounting process is not limited to this, and may be performed by flow soldering, for example.

The state of the connection terminal 2 when it is heated in the furnace will be described in more detail. Just before heating, paste solder is printed on the circuit board 1 in a circular shape corresponding to the bottom surface 5a of the fixed contact 5, and the gas vent hole 5b in the bottom surface 5a is exposed upward through the escape portion 9c of the elastic piece 9. Therefore, when heating begins, gas generated from the molten solder is released upward through the gas vent hole 5b without being impeded by the elastic piece 9, ensuring that the original function of the gas vent hole 5b is fulfilled.

The circuit board 1, which has been mounted in this way, is built into the computer and connected to a nearby mating board via wiring 3. The connection operation at this time is explained below.

As shown in FIG. 1, wiring 3 is extended from a mating board (not shown) on circuit board 1, and a mating terminal 4 configured as a male terminal is connected to the tip of the wiring 3 by crimping or the like. The mating terminal 4 is bent downward at a right angle, and can be inserted and connected to the movable contact 8 through the terminal insertion port 13a of the connection terminal 2. Note that the shape of the mating terminal 4 is not limited to this, and for example, if the wiring 3 of the mating board is extended from above in FIG. 1, a mating terminal with a flat shape that does not bend is used.

When performing the connection operation, first adjust the angle of the movable casing 7 around the axis L. In more detail, since FIG. 1 shows the wiring 3 in a state where it is not subjected to external force, if the mating terminal 4 is connected to the connection terminal 2 in this state, it is possible to prevent excessive force from acting on the wiring 3 even after the connection is completed. Therefore, the movable casing 7 is rotated around the axis L, and the angle of the terminal insertion port 13a opening in the top surface portion 13 is used as a clue to match the posture of the connection terminal 2 with that of the mating terminal 4. The rotation direction of the connection terminal 2 when adjusting to the desired angle does not matter, so this can be done intuitively by comparing the postures of both terminals 2, 4.

Then, after adjusting the position, insert the mating terminal 4 into the terminal insertion port 13a, and as shown by the two-dot chain lines in Figure 2, the tip of the mating terminal 4 bends both contact parts 8b of the movable contact 8 and is elastically sandwiched between them, resulting in an electrical connection.

Even for circuit boards equipped with general connection terminals, the optimal orientation of the connection terminals on the circuit board is set at the beginning of the design so that excessive force is not applied to the wiring 3. However, due to factors such as an error in the relative position between the circuit board and the mating board, or bending or twisting tendencies that originally occurred in the wiring 3, excessive force may be applied to the wiring 3 when the connection terminals are in the orientation as originally designed. In such cases, general connection terminals with a fixed orientation cannot be used.

The connection terminal 2 of this embodiment can change its posture depending on the difference from the posture of the mating terminal, so even if the posture of the mating terminal 4 differs from that originally designed, it can be easily dealt with by the above procedure. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems that may occur when excessive force continues to act on the wiring 3, such as damage to the wiring 3 itself or peeling of the soldered portion on the mating board to which the wiring 3 is connected, thereby achieving high durability.

In addition, if the relative positions of the boards change due to, for example, a change in the design of a computer, a typical connection terminal requires specification changes, such as changing the position on the circuit board, and if no measures are taken, excessive force will act on the wiring 3, reducing durability. Even in such cases, the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment can easily deal with the above procedure without implementing any countermeasures. Therefore, without repeating the explanation, it is possible to prevent problems that would occur if excessive force continued to act on the wiring 3, and achieve high durability.

The procedure for connecting the mating terminal 4 is not limited to the above. For example, depending on the specifications of the connection terminal 2, the rotational friction of the movable casing 7 may be very small, and the angle of the connection terminal 2 may change even when subjected to a slight force. With such a connection terminal 2, the wiring 3 may be bent to match the posture of the mating terminal 4 with the posture of the connection terminal 2 without adjusting the angle. After the terminals 2 and 4 are connected, the movable casing 7 rotates by itself when it receives a force that returns the wiring 3 to its original shape, and it becomes stable at an angle where no excessive force is applied to the wiring 3.

In addition to achieving the above-mentioned effects, when the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment is used, there are fewer structural differences as a whole, including the mating terminal 4, compared to when a typical female-type connection terminal is used, making it highly versatile.

In simple terms, the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment is equipped with a movable contact 8 equivalent to a general female terminal, and the position of this movable contact 8 is configured to be changeable, thereby enabling connection of a mating terminal 4 configured as a general male terminal. Therefore, unlike the application of the technology of Patent Document 1, there is no need to adopt a complex terminal structure for the mating terminal 4 in order to connect to a cylindrical battery post on the circuit board 1 side. This makes it possible to connect the mating terminal 4 of a conventional male terminal without requiring specification changes, and in this respect it is highly versatile.

On the other hand, the connection terminals 2 are mounted on the circuit board 1 in place of the typical female terminals. However, this configuration can be realized while minimizing the increase in cost due to the following factors.
To change the position, the connection terminal 2 has a movable casing 7 having a movable contact 8 rotatably connected to a fixed casing 6 having a fixed contact 5, and a tip end 9a of an elastic piece 9 provided integrally with the movable contact 8 is abutted against the fixed contact 5. In this configuration, the fixed casing 6 and the movable casing 7 are injection molded, and the fixed contact 5 is inserted at that time, so that the manufacturing can be performed easily and inexpensively.

In addition, because the elastic piece 9, which corresponds to the conductive member of the present invention, is integrally formed with the movable contact 8, it is possible to manufacture the movable contact 8 equipped with the elastic piece 9 by simply slightly modifying the shape of a typical female terminal, without increasing the number of steps. This not only reduces the number of parts in the connection terminal 2, but also contributes to making the assembly process easier. In other words, there is no longer any need to handle the tiny elastic piece 9 as a separate item; simply assembling the movable contact 8 to the movable casing 7 automatically assembles the elastic piece 9.

In addition, simply by disposing the main body 12 of the movable casing 7 inside the fixed casing 6, the rotation of the movable casing 7 can be guided by the sliding contact between the inner and outer peripheral surfaces 6b, 12a, and a conductive chamber 15 in which the elastic piece 9 for electrical conduction is disposed can be defined. By adopting such a rational structure, it is possible to provide the desired functionality to the connection terminal 2 while further reducing the number of parts.

In addition, when mounting on the circuit board 1, reflow soldering by automatic mounting can be applied, just like with general female terminals. That is, during reflow soldering, the connection terminal 2 can be placed in a predetermined position on the circuit board 1 together with other electronic components using a chip mounter, and soldered after heating in an oven. In contrast, if the technology of Patent Document 1 is applied, a member equivalent to a battery post will be formed on the circuit board 1, and no matter what means is used, a process completely different from the electronic component mounting process will need to be added. Therefore, from such a manufacturing perspective, the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment is highly versatile.

Therefore, due to the above factors, the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment can be manufactured with minimal increase in cost compared to the case of a general female terminal. This also makes it possible to change the position of the connection terminal 2, thereby achieving the unique effect regarding durability as described above.

In addition, the connection between the connection terminal 2 (movable contact 8) and the mating terminal 4 is essentially the same as the connection between a female terminal and a male terminal, and the connection operation can be performed as easily as before, so it can be easily used with mass-produced personal computers and the like. When applying the technology of Patent Document 1, it is first necessary to fit the tightening ring and the rotating ring sequentially onto the battery post, then align the long diameter parts with each other and the short diameter parts with each other, and then rotate the operating lever. Because the connection operation is very complicated, it is difficult to apply this method to mass production because it will result in adverse effects such as increased costs.

On the other hand, in the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment, in order to maintain electrical continuity between the fixed contact 5 and the movable contact 8 regardless of the rotation angle of the movable casing 7, the bent portion 9b of the elastic piece 9 is abutted against the fixed contact 5. As the movable casing 7 rotates, the bent portion 9b slides against the fixed contact 5, so the sliding contact points (the bent portion 9b of the elastic piece 9 and the bottom surface portion 5a of the fixed contact 5) gradually wear down.

The amount of wear at this time increases the further the bent portion 9b is away from the axis L, so it is desirable to position the bent portion 9b on the axis L. However, since the gas vent hole 5b of the fixed contact 5 is provided on the axis L, if the bent portion 9b were to be positioned on the axis L, the gas vent hole 5b would be blocked and the original gas venting function would be lost.

In order to meet these conflicting requirements, in this embodiment, a roughly U-shaped recess 9c is formed in the elastic piece 9 to divide the bent portion 9b in two, and each of them abuts on either side of the axis L on the fixed contact 5. As a result, the gas vent hole 5b is exposed upward through the recess 9c, so that a normal gas vent function is maintained and problems such as poor soldering can be prevented in advance.

At the same time, when the movable casing 7 rotates, the two divided bent portions 9b slide on the fixed contacts 5 on both sides that are very slightly spaced from the axis L. As a result, the sliding contact points are located close to the axis L, reducing the amount of wear and improving durability. For example, there are cases where the design of a personal computer is changed frequently, and the position of the connection terminal 2 is changed each time, but such requests can be met without any problems.

This arrangement of the bent portion 9b of the elastic piece 9 also contributes to increasing the current capacity of the connection terminal 2. In other words, because the bent portion 9b is abutted against the fixed contact 5 at two points on either side of the axis L, the contact between the contacts 5, 8 is stable, preventing poor contact, and the contact area between the contacts 5, 8 can be doubled compared to, for example, a single point on one side. This makes it possible to avoid problems such as burning out of the contacts 5, 8 even when a large current is passed through them, thereby increasing the current capacity.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above arrangement of the bent portion 9b and the gas vent hole 5b. For example, a single bent portion 9b may be disposed on the axis L without forming a recess 9c in the elastic piece 9, and the gas vent hole 5b may be formed at a position away from the axis L.

Incidentally, connection terminals mounted on circuit boards with limited surface area also need to be compact. What is particularly required is a reduction in the area they occupy when viewed from above so as not to interfere with the mounting of other electronic components.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in the connection terminal 2 of this embodiment, the movable contact 8 is disposed above the fixed contact 5 on the circuit board 1 via the elastic piece 9. Therefore, in a plan view, these components (fixed contact 5, elastic piece 9, movable contact 8) are disposed together on the axis L, and the area they occupy is kept to a minimum.

Then, on the outer periphery of the movable contact on this axis L, there are arranged an inner periphery 6b and an outer periphery 12a that guide the rotation of the movable casing 7, and on the outer periphery of these, there is arranged an arm portion 14b equipped with a latching claw 14c that prevents the main body portion 12 from being removed. As a result, each component (movable contact 8, inner and outer periphery surfaces 6b, 12a, arm portion 14b) is arranged in a triple layer, inside and outside, without creating any wasted space, and the area occupied by these components, and therefore the area occupied by the connection terminal 2, can be reduced. Therefore, the circuit board 1 can be effectively used for mounting other electronic components, just as in the case of using a general female terminal, for example.

The aspects of the present invention are not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the connection terminal 2 is embodied with a female type movable contact 8 of one pole, and a male type mating terminal 4 is connected, but this is not limited to this. For example, the connection terminal may be embodied with a male type movable terminal, and a female type mating terminal may be connected, or the connection terminal may be embodied with a two-pole movable contact 8.

In the above embodiment, the wire 3 is extended from the mating board, and the mating terminal 4 at the end of the wire is connected to the connection terminal 2, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the wire 3 may be extended from a sensor instead of the mating board, and the mating terminal 4 at the end of the wire may be connected to the connection terminal 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, instead of the wire 3, one end of a bus bar 21 may be connected to the mating board, and the other end 21a of the bus bar 21 may be connected to the connection terminal 2. In the case of the bus bar 21, which is a rigid body, the other end 21a and the connection terminal 2 must be in the same position to be connected, but according to this embodiment, this can be easily accommodated by simply changing the position of the connection terminal 2.

In the above embodiment, the fixed casing 6 is insert molded together with the fixed contacts 5 into a cylindrical shape with a bottom to guide the rotation of the movable casing 7, but the fixed casing 6 does not necessarily have to be made of resin. For example, the fixed contacts 5 themselves may be press molded into a cylindrical shape with a bottom using a metal plate as the material to function as the fixed casing 6.

In the above embodiment, the elastic piece 9 is integrally formed with the movable contact 8 to achieve a unique effect such as easy assembly, but the conductive member of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic piece 9 may be manufactured as an independent part separate from the movable contact 8.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Circuit board 2 Connection terminal 5 Fixed contact 5b Gas vent hole 6 Fixed casing 6b Inner peripheral surface 7 Movable casing 8 Movable contact 9 Elastic piece (conductive member)
9a Tip portion 9c Relief portion 12 Main body portion 12a Outer peripheral surface 12b Lower surface (opposing surface)
12c Contact accommodating chamber 14b Arm portion (hook portion)
14c Latching claw (latching part)
15 Conduction chamber L axis

Claims (4)

In a connection terminal that is mounted on a circuit board and to which a mating terminal is connected,
a stationary casing having stationary contacts soldered onto the circuit board;
a movable casing connected to the fixed casing so as to be rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the circuit board;
a movable contact attached to the movable casing and capable of connecting the mating terminal from an opposite side to the circuit board;
a conductive member that electrically connects the fixed contact and the movable contact regardless of an angle of the movable casing about the axis;
Equipped with
The movable casing has a main body portion that faces the fixed contact and is formed on the axis, and a contact accommodating chamber is formed on a surface of the main body that faces the fixed contact,
The movable contact is manufactured by bending a metal plate and disposed in the contact accommodating chamber,
the conductive member is elastically interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact to electrically connect the fixed contact and the movable contact, and is configured as an elastic piece that is folded back integrally from one side of the movable contact and has a tip end elastically abutted against a position on the fixed contact in the vicinity of the axis,
The fixed contact has a gas vent hole formed on the axis for use in soldering to the circuit board,
The tip of the elastic piece is formed with a relief portion corresponding to the gas vent hole.
A connection terminal for a circuit board. the fixed casing has a bottomed cylindrical shape with the fixed contact as a bottom portion and centered about the axis, the cylindrical shape opening toward an opposite side to the circuit board,
The main body of the movable casing is disposed in the fixed casing in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis,
the movable casing has an outer peripheral surface of the main body in sliding contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixed casing, and is guided in rotation about the axis, while an opposing surface of the main body faces the fixed contact at a predetermined interval to define a conductive chamber;
2. The connection terminal for circuit boards according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive member is disposed within the conductive chamber. The escape portion of the elastic piece is formed by cutting out a tip side of the elastic piece,
3. The connection terminal for circuit boards according to claim 2 , wherein the tip of the elastic piece is divided into two by the recess and abuts against the fixed contact on both sides of the gas vent hole. A plurality of hooks are formed on the outer periphery of the movable casing so as to surround the fixed casing,
4. The circuit board connection terminal according to claim 2, wherein each of the latching portions is latched to the fixed casing from its outer periphery to prevent the main body of the movable casing from coming out from within the fixed casing.

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