JP3317627B2 - Connector and electronic unit with connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector for a circuit board and an electronic unit provided with the connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In wiring with a wire harness, only a part of bundled electric wires is connected to a counterpart unit via a signal processing circuit built in a circuit board, and the rest is directly connected to the other unit (that is, the above signal). It may be necessary to connect to the partner unit (without going through the processing circuit).

FIG. 8 shows a failure detection system in an automobile as an example of a system requiring the above wiring.

This system comprises an engine control unit 91, a suspension control unit 9
2. Various control units such as a wiper control unit 93 and an antilock brake control unit 94 are provided, and output signals a, b, c,
d is input to a control board 96 composed of a circuit board. The control board 96 receives the input signals a to d
Is processed based on a predetermined program, and a processed signal is output to a checker 98 as a failure confirmation device. On the other hand, the checker 98 is connected to a power source α as a battery power source, a power source β as an ignition power source, ground, and the like. Further, a signal x output from the engine control unit 91 is directly input to the checker 98. It has become so.

In such a system, each of the control units 91 to 94 is connected to the checker 98 via the control board 96, and at the same time, the power supplies α and β are directly connected to the checker 98 without passing through the control board 96. There is a need to. In view of the above, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9A or FIG.

In FIG. 1 (a), of the wires bundled together in a wire harness, wires 81 drawn from the control units 91 to 94 are connected to the input side of a control board 98 via connectors C1 and C1 '. The output side of the control board 98 is connected to connectors C2 and C2 '.
And an electric wire 82 connected to the checker 98. On the other hand, the power supplies α, β, etc. are connected to an electric connection box (not shown), and the electric wires 83 drawn out of the electric connection box are connected to the independent connectors C3, C3 without passing through the control board 98.
'And an electric wire 84 to be directly connected to the checker 98.

In FIG. 1B, the electric wires 81, 8
3 are collectively connected to the input side of the control board 96 via connectors C1 and C1 ', and the output side of the control board 96 is connected to the checker 98 via connectors C2 and C2'. In 96, a conductor for conducting the electric wire 83 directly to the connector C2 'side without passing through the signal processing circuit is incorporated on the control board 96 (that is, on the circuit board) separately from the signal processing circuit. ing.

[0008]

In the configuration shown in FIG. 9A, connectors C1 and C1 ', connectors C2 and C2',
Three sets of connectors C3 and C3 'are required, and the number of components is increased. In addition, there is an inconvenience that the electric wires 83 and 84 must be wired in order to perform connection without passing through the control board 96. Moreover, these electric wires 83, 84
Needs to be wired in a state of completely bypassing the control board 96, and the wiring requires a large space.

On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1B, even the electric wires 82 which do not need to be connected to the control board 96 are connected to the control board 96 via the connectors C1 and C1 '. connectors C1 and C1 compared to those shown in a)
', The number of terminals increases, and these connectors C1 and C1' increase in size. In addition, not only the signal processing circuit but also a conductor for directly connecting the electric wire 83 to the connector C2 'without passing through the signal processing circuit must be additionally incorporated in the control board 96. The increase in size of the 96 cannot be avoided. Moreover, although it is sufficient to directly connect the electric wires 83 and 84, two sets of connectors C1 and C1 'and connectors C2 and C2' and a control board 96 are interposed between the electric wires 83 and 84. Therefore, the reliability of the connection between the electric wires 83 and 84 is inferior.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention simultaneously performs a connection via a circuit board and a connection without passing through a circuit board with a compact structure having a small number of parts and simplifying wiring. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector and a connector-equipped electronic unit.

[0011]

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention connects an electronic circuit incorporated in a circuit board to a mating connector, and connects a bus bar circuit contained in an electric connection box to the above-mentioned connector. A connector for directly connecting to the counterpart connector without passing through an electronic circuit, and a common connector housing configured to be attachable to the electric connection box, a board side connectable to the electronic circuit of the circuit board. Both the connector terminal and the busbar-side connector terminal connectable to the busbar terminal of the busbar circuit are fixed, and the busbar-side connector terminal is connected to the busbar circuit busbar in a state where the connector housing is mounted on the electrical connection box. Connected to the terminal and the connector housing of the mating connector is fitted to the connector housing. In in which both of the substrate side connector terminals and the bus bar-side connector terminal is configured to be connected to the terminal of the mating connector.

Here, a plurality of terminal insertion holes are provided in the connector housing, and the busbar-side connector terminals and the board-side connector terminals can be selectively inserted into the terminal insertion holes. It is possible to freely set the arrangement and combination of the board and the connector terminals on the board side, and the versatility is increased.

Further, the present invention comprises a circuit board having an electronic circuit incorporated therein, and a connector according to claim 1 or 2,
An electronic unit with a connector in which a board-side connector terminal of the connector is connected to an electronic circuit of the circuit board, and a relative position between the connector housing of the connector and the circuit board is fixed.

According to the above connector and the electronic unit with connector, the connector housing of the mating connector can be simply fitted into the connector housing of the single connector.
Both the electronic circuit of the circuit board and the bus bar circuit that does not pass through the electronic circuit are simultaneously connected to the mating connector. That is, the connection via the electronic circuit of the circuit board and the connection without the electronic circuit are performed simultaneously. In addition, since the bus bar terminals of the bus bar circuit housed in the electric connection box are directly connected to the bus bar side connector terminals,
The electric wire conventionally used for connecting the bus bar circuit of the electric connection box to the connector is not required, and the reliability of the connection between the bus bar terminal and the mating connector is improved.

In order to fix the relative position between the connector housing and the circuit board, the connector housing and the circuit board may be fixed by directly contacting each other. If the connector housing of the connector is integrally formed on its outer wall, the relative position can be automatically fixed only by setting the connector housing in this case. Then, by mounting this case to the electric connection box, the connector housing can be indirectly mounted to the electric connection box.

The connector housing is fixed in such a manner that the terminal insertion hole faces the side of the circuit board so that the bus bar terminal can be connected to the bus bar side connector terminal. The electric wires may be connected, but in this case, the circuit board stands upright with respect to the electric connection box, and the structure becomes large.
On the other hand, the terminal insertion hole is opposed to the circuit board, and the bus bar terminal insertion hole or the bus bar side connector terminal into which the bus bar terminal is inserted is inserted into the circuit board at a position corresponding to the terminal insertion hole. If the connector terminal insertion holes are provided, the bus bar terminals can approach the bus bar side connector terminals from the back side of the circuit board, and the wiring structure can be made more compact.

According to the present invention, the connector housing of the electronic unit with a connector is mounted on an electric connection box, and a bus bar terminal of a bus bar circuit accommodated in the electric connection box is connected to the bus bar side connector terminal. .

Here, if the bus bar terminal is projected outward from the outer surface of the electric connection box, the bus bar terminal and the bus bar side connector terminal are connected by mounting the connector housing on the outer surface of the electric connection box. It becomes possible.

[0019]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, devices to be connected to the circuit board (printed circuit board) 10 (the control units 91 to 91 in the example of FIG. 8).
A case will be described in which the electric wire 21 is pulled out from the electric connection box 94, and devices (power supplies α, β, etc. in the example of the figure) that do not pass through the circuit board 10 are connected to the electric junction box JB.

The electric connection box JB has an upper case 2 and a lower case 4 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, between the two cases 2 and 4, a bus bar 6, an insulating plate 7, and a bus bar 8 are accommodated in a stacked state in order from the top. The power sources α, β, etc. are connected via electric wires or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, busbar terminals 6a, 8a project upward and downward from the busbars 6, 8, of which the busbar terminals 6a, 8a projecting upward are inserted through through holes 2a ( 4 and 5), they protrude outward from the upper case 2.

The circuit board 10 incorporates an electronic circuit and a connector 12 as shown in FIGS.
The terminal 13 of the connector 12 is connected to the input terminal of the electronic circuit by soldering or the like. The entire circuit board 10 is housed in a plastic case 14.

The case 14 has a shape that opens downward, and has a locked portion 15 (FIGS. 4 and 5) formed at the lower end thereof. On the other hand, a locking portion 2 engageable with the locked portion 15 is provided at an appropriate position on the upper surface of the upper case 2.
The case 14 is mounted on the upper case 2 at a position where the locking portion 2b and the locked portion 15 are engaged.

A step 16 is formed on the inner surface of the case 14, and a connector through hole 18 is provided on the side wall.
Then, the circuit board 10 is inserted into the case 14 from the bottom side thereof to a position where the circuit board 10 comes into contact with the step portion 16, and the connector 12 projects through the connector through hole 18 to the outside of the case. The circuit board 10 in 14
Is held.

The electric wires 21 are bundled together as a wire harness, and a connector 24 is connected to the ends of the electric wires 21. And this connector 24
And the connector 12 are connected, so that the electric wire 21 is connected to the circuit board 10 through the connectors 24 and 12.
Is connected to the input side.

On the outer wall of the case 14, a connector housing 31 of the connector 30 according to the present invention is formed integrally. In this connector housing 31, a plurality of terminal insertion holes 32 penetrating vertically through the housing 31 are formed in an appropriate arrangement (two rows in the illustrated example), and these terminal insertion holes 32 face the circuit board 10. It is in a state where it has been done.

Here, predetermined terminal insertion holes (FIGS. 4 and 5)
In the left terminal insertion hole 32), a board-side connector terminal 34, which is a female terminal, is inserted.
1 is locked by a lance 33 formed therein.

The upper end of the board-side connector terminal 34
A male terminal (not shown) of the mating connector 40 shown in FIG. 2 is formed in a box shape into which the male terminal (not shown) can be fitted, and a terminal contact piece 34a electrically connected to the male terminal is formed. A board connecting portion 34b is formed at a lower end portion of the board side connector terminal 34, and the board connecting portion 34b is soldered to an output end of an electronic circuit incorporated in the circuit board 10 in a state where the board connecting portion 34b penetrates the circuit board 10. Connected by

A predetermined terminal insertion hole (the right terminal insertion hole in FIGS. 4 and 5) 32 excluding the terminal insertion hole 32
A busbar-side connector terminal 36, which is also a female terminal, is inserted and locked by a lance 33.

The upper and lower ends of the bus bar connector terminal 36 are box-shaped, the male terminal of the mating connector 40 can be fitted at the upper end, and the bus bar terminal 6a can be fitted at the lower end. Has become. Then, terminal contact pieces 36a and 36b are formed at these two ends, respectively.

On the other hand, the bus bar side connector terminal 36
The busbar terminal insertion holes 10 a (FIG. 3 to FIG. 5) are provided in the circuit board 10 corresponding to these terminal insertion holes 32 at a position directly below the terminal insertion holes 32. Then, the case 14
When each is mounted on the upper case 2, each bus bar terminal 6a projecting from the upper case 2 is fitted into the lower end of each bus bar side connector terminal 36 through each bus bar terminal insertion hole 10a, and the terminal contact piece 36b is formed. It comes into electrical contact.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mating connector 4
Numeral 0 is connected to an electric wire terminal of a cable 42 drawn from a counterpart unit (not shown). When the connector housing 41 of the mating connector 40 is fitted to the connector housing 31, each male terminal of the mating connector 40 is simultaneously fitted to the board-side connector terminal 34 and the busbar-side connector terminal 36 of the connector 30. Combined
Thereby, the electronic circuit output end of the circuit board 10 is connected to the mating connector 40 and the electric wire in the cable 42 via the board side connector terminal 34, and at the same time, the bus bar terminal 6a passes through the circuit board 10 Without being connected directly to the mating connector 40 and the electric wire in the cable 42.

According to such an electronic unit, only by connecting the mating connector 40 to the single connector 30,
Both the electronic circuit of the circuit board 10 and the internal circuit of the electric connection box JB that does not pass through the electronic circuit can be connected to the cable 42 at the same time. In other words, the connectors 24, 1
2, a connection between the electric wire 21 and the cable 42 via the circuit board 10 in a compact structure with a small number of components using only two sets of connectors 30 and 40;
Both the connection to the cable 42 and the power supply that does not pass through the circuit board 10 can be performed.

Further, when the case 14 is mounted on the upper case 2 of the electric connection box JB, the electric connection box J
Since the bus bar terminal 6a of the bus bar 6 in B is directly connected to the bus bar connector terminal 36 of the connector 30,
Wiring for connecting the electrical junction box JB and the connector as in the related art can be dispensed with, so that the structure can be simplified and the size can be further reduced, and the connection reliability can be improved.

Further, since the connector 30 has a structure in which the board side connector terminal 34 and the bus bar side connector terminal 36 can be selectively inserted into the terminal insertion holes 32, the board side connector terminal 34 and the bus bar side The arrangement and combination of the side connector terminals 36 can be freely set in accordance with the arrangement of the bus bar terminals 6a, the layout of the circuit board 10, the terminal arrangement of the mating connector 40, and the like, which is rich in versatility and excellent in mass productivity. It has become.

In the above embodiment, the connector housing 31 of the connector 30 is integrally formed on the outer wall of the case 14 and the circuit board 10 is set in the case 14 so that the connector housing 31 and the circuit board 10 Although the relative positions are fixed, the connector housing 31 and the circuit board 10 may be directly contacted and fixed. However, according to the above embodiment, there is an advantage that the operation of fixing the connector housing 31 to the case 14 can be omitted, and the connector housing 31 can be easily mounted on the upper case 2 or the like of the electric connection box JB via the case 14. .

In this embodiment, the circuit board 10
The bus bar terminal insertion hole 10a is provided in the bus bar terminal insertion hole 10a, and the bus bar terminal 6a is inserted into the bus bar side connector terminal 36 of the connector 30 in a state where the bus bar terminal 6a is inserted into the bus bar terminal insertion hole 10a. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a connector terminal insertion hole 10 a ′ is formed in the circuit board 10, and the bus bar side connector terminal 36 is formed through the connector terminal insertion hole 10 a ′.
May be made to project downward from the circuit board 10, and the bus bar terminals 6a may be directly fitted into the bus bar connector terminals 36.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, a single connector housing is provided with a board-side connector terminal and a bus bar-side connector terminal, and the board-side connector terminal is connected to an electronic circuit of a circuit board. The connector housing is mounted on an electric connection box in which a bus bar circuit that does not pass through a board is accommodated, and the bus bar side connector terminal and the bus bar terminal of the bus bar circuit are directly connected, and the mating connector housing is fitted into the connector housing. In the mated state, both the board side connector terminal and the bus bar side connector terminal are respectively connected to the connector terminal of the mating connector, so that the number of parts is reduced, the circuit board is downsized, In addition, while simplifying wiring, circuit connection via the circuit board and circuit There is an effect that it is possible to perform both of the connection simultaneously.

Here, if the connector housing is provided with a plurality of terminal insertion holes, and the bus bar side connector terminal and the connector terminal are selectively inserted into each terminal insertion hole, the board side connector is provided. The arrangement and combination of the terminals and the connector terminals on the busbar side can be freely set, and high versatility and mass productivity can be obtained.

Further, according to the case where the circuit board is provided and accommodated therein and the connector housing is integrally formed on the outer wall of the case, the circuit board is set in the case. At the same time as the protection of the circuit board, the relative position between the circuit board and the connector housing can be fixed, and the work of fixing the connector housing to the circuit board can be omitted. There is an effect that can be worn.

Here, the terminal insertion hole of the connector is opposed to the circuit board, and a bus bar terminal insertion hole for inserting the bus bar terminal or a connector terminal insertion hole for inserting the bus bar side connector terminal is provided on the circuit board. If the bus bar terminal and the bus bar side connector terminal are connected through these insertion holes, the bus bar terminal can be approached to the connector from the back side of the circuit board, and the whole structure can be more compactly assembled. .

Further, in the electric connection box in which the connector housing is mounted, if the bus bar terminal is projected outward from the outer surface of the electric connection box, the bus bar terminal is mounted on the outer surface of the electric connection box, whereby the bus bar is mounted. The terminal and the busbar-side connector terminal can be easily connected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electric manufacturing box according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a case and the like mounted on the electric junction box.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the case and a circuit board accommodated in the case.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state before the case is mounted on the electric connection box.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the case is mounted on the electric connection box.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a case is mounted on an electric connection box in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a case is mounted on an electric junction box in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a failure detection system in an automobile.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are front views showing a conventional example of a wiring configuration of the system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Circuit board 10a Bus bar terminal insertion hole 10a 'Connector terminal insertion hole 14 Case 30 Connector 31 Connector housing 32 Terminal insertion hole 34 Board side connector terminal 36 Bus bar side connector terminal 40 Mating connector JB Electrical connection box

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masaya Ota 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Harness Research Institute, Inc. (72) Inventor Noriichi Okamura 1-7-7 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture No. 10 Inside Harness Research Institute Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-55-6731 (JP, A) JP-A-62-181610 (JP, A) Fully open Showa 62-47453 (JP, U) Really open show 62-47451 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 31/06

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A connector for connecting an electronic circuit incorporated in a circuit board to a mating connector and directly connecting a bus bar circuit housed in an electric connection box to the mating connector without passing through the electronic circuit. A common connector housing configured to be attachable to the electrical junction box; a board-side connector terminal connectable to an electronic circuit of the circuit board; and a busbar-side connector terminal connectable to a busbar terminal of the busbar circuit. Are fixed, the bus bar side connector terminal is connected to the bus bar terminal of the bus bar circuit in a state where the connector housing is mounted on the electric connection box, and the connector housing of the mating connector is connected to the connector housing. In the fitted state, both the board side connector terminal and the bus bar side connector terminal are A connector configured to be connected to terminals of a mating connector. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of terminal insertion holes are provided in the connector housing, and the board side connector terminal and the bus bar side connector terminal can be selectively inserted into each terminal insertion hole. A connector characterized by having a configuration as described above. 3. A circuit board having an electronic circuit incorporated therein, and the connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a board-side connector terminal of the connector is connected to an electronic circuit of the circuit board. An electronic unit with a connector, wherein a relative position between the connector housing and the circuit board is fixed. 4. The electronic unit with a connector according to claim 3, further comprising: a case for housing and holding the circuit board, wherein a connector housing of the connector is integrally formed on an outer wall of the case, and the case is attached to the case. An electronic unit with a connector, wherein the electronic unit is configured to be attachable to the electric connection box. 5. The electronic unit with a connector according to claim 3, wherein the busbar-side connector terminal faces the circuit board, and the busbar terminal is inserted into a position corresponding to the busbar-side connector terminal on the circuit board. An electronic unit with a connector, provided with a bus bar terminal insertion hole. 6. The electronic unit with a connector according to claim 3, wherein the bus bar-side connector terminal faces the circuit board, and the circuit board and the circuit board are located at positions corresponding to the bus bar-side connector terminals on the circuit board. An electronic unit with a connector, wherein a connector terminal insertion hole through which the bus bar side connector terminal is inserted is provided in a state where a relative position with respect to the connector housing is fixed. 7. The connector unit according to claim 3, wherein the connector housing is mounted on an electric connection box, and a bus bar terminal of a bus bar circuit housed in the electric connection box is connected to the bus bar side connector terminal. An electronic unit with a connector, wherein the electronic unit is connected to a connector. 8. The connector-equipped electronic unit according to claim 7, wherein said bus bar terminal is projected outward from an outer surface of the electric connection box, and said connector housing is mounted on an outer surface of said electric connection box. With electronic unit.