PCB connection structure and power supply device

Abstract

This reduces the cost of PCB connection structures that use press-fit terminals. [Solution] The substrate connection structure 10 comprises a press-fit terminal 40, a substrate 30, and a conductive joint 50 that joins the press-fit terminal 40 to the substrate 30. The press-fit terminal 40 has a terminal body portion 41 extending in a first direction and a press-fit portion 42 provided in the middle of the terminal body portion 41 and elastically deformable in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The substrate 30 has a through-hole 32 penetrating in a first direction and a land 33 formed at the end of the through-hole 32. With the press-fit portion 42 inserted into the through-hole 32 and standing upright, the terminal body portion 41 is held by the joint 50 against the land 33 and the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate connection structure and a power supply device. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a press-fit terminal that is press-fitted into a through hole formed in a substrate and electrically connected to a conductive portion formed on an inner wall of the through hole. For example, the press-fit terminal described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-26052 (Patent Document 1 below) is conductively connected to the inner wall of the terminal hole by press-fitting the press-fit portion into the terminal hole of the printed circuit board. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-26052 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Since the press-fit portion needs to connect the press-fit terminal to the printed circuit board with high contact pressure, it is required to undergo large elastic deformation, and it is necessary to use an expensive metal material with high spring elasticity. In addition, in order to ensure the reliability of electrical connection to the inner wall of the terminal hole, it is necessary to use a press-fit terminal in which at least the press-fit portion is plated. As described above, when a press-fit terminal is used for connection to a printed circuit board, the cost inevitably increases. Therefore, there has been a demand for cost reduction of a substrate connection structure including a press-fit terminal. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The substrate connection structure of this disclosure comprises a press-fit terminal, a substrate, and a conductive joint for joining the press-fit terminal to the substrate, wherein the press-fit terminal has a terminal body portion extending in a first direction and a press-fit portion provided in the middle of the terminal body portion and elastically deformable in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the substrate has a through-hole penetrating in the first direction and a land formed at the end of the through-hole, wherein the press-fit portion is inserted into the through-hole and stands upright, and the terminal body portion is held by the joint portion with respect to the land and the inner wall of the through-hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, the cost of a board connection structure equipped with press-fit terminals can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the internal structure of the power supply device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates a conventional method for connecting press-fit terminals. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates the connection method of the press-fit terminals of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the press-fit portion in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates the areas where solder paste is prohibited during assembly. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the male terminals from Figure 5 after they have been soldered. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates the areas where mounting is prohibited due to the receiving jig. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows the internal structure of the power supply device of Embodiment 2. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the power supply device of Embodiment 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The substrate connection structure of the present disclosure comprises a press-fit terminal, a substrate, and a conductive joint for joining the press-fit terminal to the substrate, wherein the press-fit terminal has a terminal body portion extending in a first direction and a press-fit portion provided in the middle of the terminal body portion and elastically deformable in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the substrate has a through-hole penetrating in the first direction and a land formed at the end of the through-hole, wherein the press-fit portion is inserted into the through-hole and stands upright, and the terminal body portion is held by the joint portion with respect to the land and the inner wall of the through-hole.

[0009] Since the press-fit portion is inserted into the through-hole and stands upright, and the terminal body is held against the land and the inner wall of the through-hole by the joint, the press-fit terminal and the circuit board are electrically connected via the joint. In this way, there is no need to significantly elastically deform the press-fit portion, and therefore expensive metal materials with high spring elasticity do not need to be used. Furthermore, when the press-fit portion is elastically deformed to allow the press-fit terminal to stand upright in a through-hole, only a sufficient contact pressure is needed for self-support, and a high contact pressure to guarantee electrical connection is not required. Therefore, as mentioned above, there is no need to significantly elastically deform the press-fit portion, and expensive metal materials do not need to be used. Therefore, the cost of board connection structures equipped with press-fit terminals can be reduced.

[0010] In [2][1], the press-fit terminal has a pair of second surfaces facing the second direction in a cross section intersecting the first direction, and a pair of third surfaces facing the third direction intersecting both the first and second directions, and it is preferable that only one of the pair of second surfaces or the pair of third surfaces is plated.

[0011] Conventional press-fit terminals required plating the outer surface of the press-fit portion that connects to the inner wall of the through-hole in order to ensure the reliability of the electrical connection to the through-hole's inner wall. However, since the press-fit portion is generally formed by pressing, and the outer surface that connects to the through-hole's inner wall is the cut surface of the pressing process, plating had to be applied after pressing. As a result, the press-fit terminal had to have the entire press-fit portion plated. On the other hand, in the press-fit terminal of this disclosure, since the press-fit portion is connected to the inner wall of the through-hole via the joint portion, it is not necessary to plate the entire press-fit portion; it is sufficient to plate only one of the pair of second surfaces or the pair of third surfaces. Therefore, less plating is required on the press-fit terminal than in the conventional method, and the costs associated with the plating process can be reduced.

[0012] [3] The power supply device of the present disclosure comprises a board connection structure as described in [1] or [2] and a case housing the board connection structure, the case having a mating portion into which a female connector having female terminals can be mated, the mating portion having a terminal insertion hole through which the press-fit terminal is inserted, and when the female connector is mated into the mating portion, the press-fit terminal protruding from the back wall of the mating portion and the female terminal are electrically connected.

[0013] Since the case has a mating section into which the female connector can be fitted, it is not necessary to provide the mating section separately from the case.

[0014] In [4][3], it is preferable that the female connector comprises a pin-shaped male terminal without the press-fit portion and a base housing for holding the male terminal, wherein the mating portion has terminal insertion holes through which the press-fit terminal and the male terminal are inserted, and when the female connector is mated with the mating portion, the female terminal, the press-fit terminal and the male terminal are electrically connected.

[0015] Since the press-fit terminal is held on the substrate and the male terminal is held in the pedestal housing, the press-fit terminal and the male terminal can be collectively connected to the female terminal by fitting the female connector into the fitting portion.

[0016] [5] The power supply device of the present disclosure includes the substrate connection structure according to [1] or [2], a case that accommodates the substrate connection structure, a pin-shaped male terminal not provided with the press-fit portion, and a male housing that holds the male terminal, wherein the male housing has a fitting portion into which a female connector having a female terminal can be fitted, the fitting portion has a terminal insertion hole through which the press-fit terminal is inserted, and when the female connector is fitted into the fitting portion, the press-fit terminal and the male terminal protruding from the inner wall of the fitting portion are conductively connected to the female terminal.

[0017] Since the press-fit terminal is held on the substrate and the male terminal is held in the male housing, the press-fit terminal and the male terminal can be collectively connected to the female terminal by fitting the female connector into the fitting portion.

[0018] [6] It is preferable that the material of the press-fit terminal is brass. Although brass is softer than heat-resistant copper alloys and phosphor bronze, it is inexpensive. Since the press-fit terminal of the present disclosure does not require a hard material that can withstand insertion into a through hole, inexpensive brass can be used.

[0019] [7] When the power supply device is a device for communication applications or low-current applications, it is preferable that the material of the press-fit terminal is brass. Although brass has higher electrical resistivity than pure copper, it is inexpensive. When the power supply device is for communication applications or low-current applications, a material with low electrical resistivity is not required, so inexpensive brass can be used as the material of the press-fit terminal.

[0020] [8] When the power supply device is a device for high-current applications, it is preferable that the material of the press-fit terminal is pure copper. When power supply devices are used for high-current applications, high electrical resistivity leads to increased heat generation. In such cases, using pure copper as the material for press-fit terminals can make them suitable for high-current applications.

[0021] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. This disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. In the drawings, some parts of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified for illustrative purposes. Also, the dimensional ratios of the parts may differ in the drawings. In this specification, “orthogonal” includes not only strictly orthogonal but also approximately orthogonal to the extent that the function and effect of the present embodiment is achieved.

[0022] Furthermore, in this specification, "facing" refers to the position where two surfaces or members are directly in front of each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely in front of each other, but also cases where they are partially in front of each other. Furthermore, in this specification, "facing" includes both cases where a member other than the two parts is interposed between the two parts, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two parts. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is considered upward, the direction indicated by arrow X is considered forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y is considered to be to the right. Note that in the case of multiple identical members, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the members, while the reference numerals of the other members may be omitted.

[0023] <Embodiment 1> (Overall structure of the power supply device) Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The power supply device 100 of Embodiment 1 is an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted in an automobile. In-vehicle ECUs are used to control, for example, lights, doors, keyless entry systems, brakes, engines, steering, etc. As shown in Figure 1, the power supply device 100 comprises a board connection structure 10 and a case 60 in which the board connection structure 10 is housed. The power supply device 100 may be a device for communication applications or low-current applications (e.g., less than 10A), or a device for high-current applications (e.g., 10A or more).

[0024] The substrate connection structure 10 comprises a substrate 30 with its surface oriented vertically, a plurality of press-fit terminals 40 held by the substrate 30, and a joint portion 50 that joins the plurality of press-fit terminals 40 to the substrate 30. The vertical direction corresponds to the first direction of this disclosure, the left-right direction corresponds to the second direction of this disclosure, and the front-back direction corresponds to the third direction of this disclosure.

[0025] The substrate 30 comprises an insulating substrate 31 made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, and a conductive path (not shown) formed in the insulating substrate 31. A through-hole 32 extending in the vertical direction is formed through the insulating substrate 31. Lands 33 are formed at both the upper and lower ends of the through-hole 32, as shown in Figure 3. The inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 electrically connects a pair of lands 33. The lands 33 and the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 are made of a conductive metal such as pure copper or a copper alloy. Although not shown, electronic components are mounted on the substrate 30, and the electronic components are connected to the conductive path or through-hole 32 by soldering.

[0026] The case 60 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The case 60 is box-shaped and has a bottom wall 61 and a top wall 62 that is vertically opposite to the bottom wall 61. A mating portion 63 into which a female connector 20 having female terminals 21 is fitted is integrally formed on the top wall 62. The mating portion 63 is shaped by recessing a part of the top wall 62 toward the bottom wall 61. A terminal insertion hole 65 for inserting a press-fit terminal 40 is formed in the back wall 64 of the mating portion 63.

[0027] The female terminal 21 is shaped like a long rectangular tube in the vertical direction and has an opening at the bottom. Inside the female terminal 21, a press-fit terminal 40 that protrudes from the back wall 64 into the mating portion 63 can be mated from below. An elastic contact piece (not shown) is formed inside the female terminal 21, and when this elastic contact piece elastically contacts the press-fit terminal 40, the female terminal 21 and the press-fit terminal 40 are electrically connected.

[0028] The joint 50 is, for example, solder. Soldering is performed by printing solder paste 52 around the land 33 of the substrate 30, inserting terminals (such as press-fit terminals 40 or pin-shaped male terminals 70) into the through-holes 32, and then passing the substrate 30 through a reflow oven, as shown in Figure 5 (also called through-hole reflow). Alternatively, manual soldering may be performed. As solder, for example, lead-free solder can be used. In the following, it may also be referred to as "solder 50". Examples of joints 50 other than solder include brazing material used for soldering.

[0029] (Press-fit terminal circuit board connection structure) Next, the substrate connection structure of the press-fit terminal will be described. Figure 2 shows the substrate connection structure of a conventional press-fit terminal 1, and Figure 3 shows the substrate connection structure of the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the conventional press-fit terminal 1 has a terminal body portion 2 that extends in the vertical direction, and a press-fit portion 3 that is provided in the middle of the terminal body portion 2 and is elastically deformable in the left-right direction.

[0030] The left-right dimension (hereinafter referred to as the "maximum diameter") AL1 of the press-fit portion 3 is larger than the left-right dimension (hereinafter referred to as the "diameter") AL2 of the through-hole 32. In the case of Figure 2, the maximum diameter AL1 of the press-fit portion 3 is approximately 1.6 times the diameter AL2 of the through-hole 32.

[0031] When the press-fit terminal 1 is inserted into the through-hole 32, the press-fit portion 3 elastically deforms while shrinking in diameter, generating a large elastic force against the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32, and the press-fit portion 3 receives a large reaction force from the inner wall 34. As a result, the inner wall 34 receives a large contact pressure from the press-fit portion 3. This causes the press-fit terminal 1 to be inserted into and held in the through-hole 32, and to be electrically connected to the inner wall 34.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3, the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure has a terminal body portion 41 extending in the vertical direction and a press-fit portion 42 provided in the middle of the terminal body portion 41 that is elastically deformable in the left-right direction. The left-right dimension (hereinafter referred to as "maximum diameter") BL1 of the press-fit portion 42 is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the diameter AL2 of the through-hole 32. In the case of Figure 3, the maximum diameter BL1 of the press-fit portion is approximately 1.1 times the diameter AL2 of the through-hole 32.

[0033] The material of the press-fit terminal 40 is brass or pure copper. If the power supply device 100 is for communication or low-current applications, brass is preferred for the press-fit terminal 40, and if the power supply device 100 is for high-current applications, pure copper is preferred for the press-fit terminal 40. For example, low-cost brass may be used for areas with small terminal sizes, and highly conductive pure copper may be used for high-current lines with large terminal sizes.

[0034] When the press-fit terminal 40 is inserted into the through-hole 32, the press-fit portion 42 elastically deforms while slightly shrinking in diameter, generating a small elastic force against the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32. This elastic force is significantly smaller than that of conventional press-fit terminals 1. In other words, the role of the press-fit portion 42 is not to hold or connect the press-fit terminal 40 in the through-hole 32, but rather to provide support (temporary fastening).

[0035] Subsequently, the press-fit portion 42 is held in the through-hole 32 by the joint portion 50 and electrically connected to the inner wall 34 via the joint portion 50. A fillet 51 is formed in the land 33 and solder is filled inside the through-hole 32. In this way, the holding and connection of the press-fit terminal 40 to the substrate 30 is ensured by the joint portion 50.

[0036] As described above, the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure does not require significant elastic deformation of the press-fit portion 42, and does not require the use of expensive metal materials with high spring elasticity, thus reducing material costs. In short, while conventional press-fit terminals 1 require ensuring the self-supporting, holding, and electrical connection reliability of the terminal, resulting in high overall costs, the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure only requires ensuring the self-supporting of the terminal, and the holding and electrical connection reliability of the terminal can be ensured by the joint portion 50 (soldering), thus keeping overall costs low.

[0037] (Detailed structure of the press-fit section) Figure 4 shows a top-down cross-sectional view of the detailed structure of the press-fit portion 42 in Figure 1. In Embodiment 1, since the press-fit terminal 40 needs to be self-supporting relative to the through-hole 32, the press-fit portion 42 is in contact with the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 with minimal elastic force. In other words, the diameter AL2 of the through-hole 32 only needs to be slightly smaller than the maximum diameter BL1 of the press-fit portion 42, and in the diameter reduction direction (left-right direction) of the press-fit portion 42, almost no gap is formed between the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 and the press-fit portion 42.

[0038] On the other hand, in the case of a conventional pin-shaped male terminal 70, a gap is formed around the entire circumference between the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 and the male terminal 70. Therefore, with the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure, assuming the same conductor cross-sectional area, the amount of joint portion 50 (required amount of solder) to be filled into the through-hole 32 can be reduced compared to a conventional pin-shaped male terminal 70, and consequently the diameter of the through-hole 32 can be reduced, which also contributes to narrowing the pitch between adjacent terminals.

[0039] The press-fit terminal 40 has a left side surface 43 and a right side surface 44 that face each other in the left-right direction, and a front surface 45 and a rear surface 46 that face each other in the front-rear direction. A plating layer 47 is formed on the front surface 45 and the rear surface 46 by plating. On the other hand, the left side surface 43 and the right side surface 44 do not have a plating layer 47 formed on them.

[0040] The reason for this is that the metal plate, which is the raw material for the press-fit terminal 40, is plated before the press-fit portion is formed by pressing (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "pre-plating"). For this reason, the plating layer 47 is not formed on the left and right side surfaces 43 and 44, which are the cut surfaces (surfaces destroyed by shearing). If the plating layer 47 were to be formed on both the left and right side surfaces 43 and 44, it would be necessary to post-plate the press-fit terminal 40, which has been made into individual pieces by pressing, rather than pre-plating, which would increase costs. In conventional press-fit terminals 1, the plating layer is also formed on both the left and right side surfaces that are connected to the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32, so post-plating is required instead of pre-plating, resulting in higher manufacturing costs than the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure. In contrast, with the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure, it is only necessary to plate one pair of opposing surfaces (front surface 45 and rear surface 46), and post-plating is unnecessary, thus reducing manufacturing costs.

[0041] (Regarding the pitch between adjacent terminals) Figure 5 shows the state after inserting a conventional pin-shaped male terminal 70 into a through-hole 32, but before reflow soldering. Solder paste 52 is applied or printed on the upper surface of the substrate 30. The amount of solder paste 52 is determined by the amount of solder 50 that will be filled into the through-hole 32 after reflow soldering, as shown in Figure 6. In Figure 5, the areas enclosed by dashed lines indicate mounting prohibited areas R1 and R2. Mounting prohibited area R1 corresponds to the area where solder paste 52 is applied. Mounting prohibited area R2 corresponds to the area where a fillet 51 will be formed after reflow soldering. It is clear that electronic components cannot be mounted in either mounting prohibited area R1 or R2, and therefore adjacent male terminals 70 cannot be placed.

[0042] As the mounting restriction areas R1 and R2 increase, the pitch between adjacent terminals increases accordingly; therefore, it is desirable to keep the mounting restriction areas R1 and R2 as small as possible. In particular, the size of the mounting restriction area R1 is determined by the amount of solder required, so the less solder used, the smaller the mounting restriction area R1 becomes. The press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure can use less solder than the conventional press-fit terminal 1, resulting in a smaller mounting restriction area R1, which in turn contributes to a smaller pitch between adjacent terminals.

[0043] Figure 7 shows a conventional press-fit terminal 1 inserted into a through-hole 32. A support jig 35 is positioned on the underside of the substrate 30. When inserting the press-fit terminal 1 into the through-hole 32, the press-fit portion 3 slides against the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 with high contact pressure, resulting in a large load on the underside of the substrate 30. For this reason, a large support jig 35 needs to be placed on the underside of the substrate 30. Mounting prohibited areas R3 and R4 correspond to the areas where the support jig 35 is placed. Unlike in Figure 7, mounting prohibited area R3 corresponds to the area where the support jig 35 is placed when the substrate 30 is inverted.

[0044] On the other hand, since the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure does not generate as large a load as the conventional press-fit terminal 1, the size of the receiving jig 35 can be made smaller, and as a result the mounting prohibited areas R3 and R4 are reduced, it may be possible to reduce the pitch between adjacent terminals accordingly.

[0045] (Effects of Embodiment 1) The substrate connection structure 10 comprises a press-fit terminal 40, a substrate 30, and a conductive joint 50 that joins the press-fit terminal 40 to the substrate 30. The press-fit terminal 40 has a terminal body portion 41 extending in a first direction and a press-fit portion 42 provided in the middle of the terminal body portion 41 and elastically deformable in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The substrate 30 has a through-hole 32 penetrating in a first direction and a land 33 formed at the end of the through-hole 32. The press-fit portion 42 is inserted into the through-hole 32 and stands upright, while the terminal body portion 41 is held by the joint 50 against the land 33 and the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32.

[0046] With the press-fit portion 42 inserted into the through-hole 32 and standing upright, the terminal body portion 41 is held by the joint portion 50 against the land 33 and the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32, so that the press-fit terminal 40 and the substrate 30 are electrically connected via the joint portion 50. In this way, there is no need to greatly elastically deform the press-fit portion 42, and therefore it is not necessary to use expensive metal materials with high spring elasticity. Furthermore, when the press-fit portion 42 is elastically deformed to allow the press-fit terminal 40 to stand upright in the through-hole 32, only sufficient contact pressure is needed for it to stand upright, and high contact pressure to guarantee electrical connection is not required. Therefore, as described above, it is not necessary to significantly elastically deform the press-fit portion 42, and expensive metal materials do not need to be used. Therefore, the cost of the board connection structure 10 equipped with press-fit terminals 40 can be reduced.

[0047] The press-fit terminal 40 has a left side surface 43 and a right side surface 44 that face each other in the left-right direction in a cross section that intersects in the vertical direction, and a front surface 45 and a rear surface 46 that face each other in the front-rear direction that intersect in both the vertical and left-right directions, and it is preferable that only the front surface 45 and the rear surface 46 are plated.

[0048] In conventional press-fit terminals 1, in order to ensure the reliability of the electrical connection to the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32, it was necessary to plate the outer surface of the press-fit portion 3 that connects to the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32. However, since the press-fit portion 3 is generally formed by press working, and the outer surface that connects to the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 is the cut surface of the press working (the surface that is destroyed by shear), it was necessary to apply plating after press working, and as a result the press-fit terminal 1 had to have the entire press-fit portion 3 plated. On the other hand, in the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure, since the press-fit portion 42 is connected to the inner wall 34 of the through-hole 32 via the joint portion 50, it is not necessary to plate the entire press-fit portion 42; it is sufficient to plate only the front surface 45 and the rear surface 46. Therefore, less plating is required on the press-fit terminal 40 than in conventional terminals, and the cost associated with the plating process can be reduced.

[0049] The power supply device 100 comprises a board connection structure 10 and a case 60 that houses the board connection structure 10. The case 60 has a mating portion 63 into which a female connector 20 having female terminals 21 can be fitted. The mating portion 63 has a terminal insertion hole 65 through which a press-fit terminal 40 is inserted. When the female connector 20 is fitted into the mating portion 63, the press-fit terminal 40 protruding from the back wall 64 of the mating portion 63 and the female terminal 21 are electrically connected. Since the case 60 is provided with a mating portion 63 into which the female connector 20 can be mated, the mating portion 63 does not need to be provided separately from the case 60.

[0050] The material of the press-fit terminal 40 is preferably brass. Brass is softer than heat-resistant copper alloys or phosphor bronze, but it is inexpensive. Since the press-fit terminal 40 of this disclosure does not require a hard material to withstand insertion into the through-hole 32, inexpensive brass can be used.

[0051] If the power supply device 100 is a device for communication or low-current applications, the material of the press-fit terminal 40 is preferably brass. Brass has a higher electrical resistivity than pure copper, but it is inexpensive. When the power supply device 100 is for communication or low-current applications, it does not require a material with low electrical resistivity, so inexpensive brass can be used as the material for the press-fit terminal 40.

[0052] If the power supply device 100 is a device for high-current applications, the material of the press-fit terminal 40 is preferably pure copper. When the power supply device 100 is used for high-current applications, high electrical resistivity leads to increased heat generation. In such cases, using pure copper as the material for the press-fit terminal 40 makes it possible to handle high-current applications.

[0053] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figure 8. The power supply device 200 of Embodiment 2 uses both a press-fit terminal 40 and a male terminal 70, and includes a base housing 80 that holds the male terminal 70. The same components as in Embodiment 1 will not be described, and the same reference numerals will be used.

[0054] The power supply device 200 comprises a pin-shaped male terminal 70 without a press-fit portion and a base housing 80 that holds the male terminal 70. The male terminal 70 is held in the base housing 80 by press-fitting or insert molding.

[0055] By placing the base housing 80 on the circuit board 30 and performing reflow soldering with the male terminal 70 penetrating the through-hole 32, the male terminal 70 is held in place by the inner wall 34 and land 33 of the through-hole 32.

[0056] Terminal insertion holes 65 are formed in the back wall 64 of the mating portion 63 for inserting the press-fit terminal 40 and the male terminal 70. When the female connector 20 is mated into the mating portion 63, the female terminal 21 and the press-fit terminal 40 and the male terminal 70 are electrically connected.

[0057] Although the illustration is simplified in Figure 8, a 30-pin male terminal 70 is fixed to the base housing 80. The diameter of the through-hole 32 into which the press-fit terminal 40 is inserted is less than or equal to the diameter of the through-hole 32 into which the male terminal 70 is inserted. The spacing between the through-holes 32 into which the press-fit terminals 40 are inserted is less than or equal to the spacing between the through-holes 32 into which the male terminals 70 are inserted. As shown in Figure 6, the male terminal 70 has a pair of opposing surfaces 71 that face each other in the front-to-back direction. On the male terminal 70, the plating layer 72 is formed only on the pair of opposing surfaces 71.

[0058] As in Embodiment 1, it is possible to use press-fit terminals 40 for all terminals, but in that case, it is preferable to use pure copper for large terminals (high-current terminals) of 9.5 type to 1.5 type and brass for small terminals of 0.64 type to 0.5 type. Furthermore, when press-fit terminals 40 and male terminals 70 are used in combination as in Embodiment 2, it is preferable to use the male terminals 70 held in the base housing 80 as large terminals and the press-fit terminals 40 as small terminals. It is preferable to use press-fit terminals 40 in areas where the diameter of the through-hole 32 is smaller and the pitch between adjacent terminals is smaller compared to areas where male terminals 70 held in the base housing 80 are used.

[0059] According to this embodiment, since the press-fit terminal 40 is held on the substrate 30 and the male terminal 70 is held on the base housing 80 and the substrate 30, the press-fit terminal 40 and the male terminal 70 can be connected to the female terminal 21 all at once by fitting the female connector 20 into the mating portion 63.

[0060] <Embodiment 3> Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Figure 9. The power supply device 300 of Embodiment 3 uses both a press-fit terminal 40 and a male terminal 70, and includes a male housing 90 that holds the male terminal 70. The same components as in Embodiments 1 and 2 will not be described, and the same reference numerals will be used.

[0061] The power supply device 300 comprises a board connection structure 10, a case 60 in which the board connection structure 10 is housed, a pin-shaped male terminal 70 without a press-fit portion, and a male housing 90 that holds the male terminal 70. The male housing 90 has a mating portion 91 into which a female connector 20 having a female terminal 21 can be mated. The male terminal 70 is held in the back wall 92 of the mating portion 91 by press-fitting or insert molding.

[0062] By placing the male housing 90 on the circuit board 30 and performing reflow soldering with the male terminal 70 penetrating the through-hole 32, the male terminal 70 is held in place by the inner wall 34 and land 33 of the through-hole 32.

[0063] A terminal insertion hole 93 is formed in the back wall 92 of the mating portion 91 for inserting the press-fit terminal 40. A housing insertion hole 66 is formed in the case 60 for inserting the mating portion 91 of the male housing 90. When the female connector 20 is mated into the mating portion 91, the press-fit terminal 40 and the male terminal 70 and female terminal 21 that protrude from the back wall 92 of the mating portion 91 are electrically connected.

[0064] According to this embodiment, since the press-fit terminal 40 is held on the substrate 30 and the male terminal 70 is held on the male housing 90 and the substrate 30, the press-fit terminal 40 and the male terminal 70 can be connected to the female terminal 21 all at once by fitting the female connector 20 into the mating portion 91.

[0065] <Other Embodiments> In the above embodiment 3, an example was shown in which the male terminal 70 is held in the male housing 90, but a base housing 80 may also be used in combination. That is, the male terminal 70 held in the male housing 90, the male terminal 70 held in the base housing 80, and the press-fit terminal 40 may be used together. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1: Press-fit terminals 2: Terminal body 3: Press-fit section 10: PCB connection structure 20: Female connector 21:Female terminal 30: Circuit board 31: Insulating substrate 32: Through-hole 33: Land 34:Inner wall 35: Receiving jig 40: Press-fit terminals 41: Terminal body 42: Press-fit section 43: Left side (2nd side) 44: Right side (second side) 45: Front (3rd side) 46: Back side (3rd side) 47: Plating layer 50: Joint 51: Fillet 52: Solder paste 60: Case 61: Bottom wall 62: Ceiling and Wall 63: Fitting part 64: Back wall 65: Terminal insertion hole 66: Housing insertion hole 70: Male terminal 71: Opposing surface 72: Plating layer 80: Pedestal Housing 90: Male Housing 91: Fitting part 92: Back wall 93: Terminal insertion hole 100,200,300: Power supply device AL1: Dimensions of the press-fit section in the left-right direction. AL2: Dimensions of the through-hole in the left-right direction. BL1: Dimensions of the press-fit section in the left-right direction. R1, R2, R3, R4: Non-implementation zones

Claims

1. Press-fit terminals and circuit board and It comprises a conductive bonding portion that joins the press-fit terminal to the substrate, The press-fit terminal has a terminal body portion extending in a first direction, and a press-fit portion provided in the middle of the terminal body portion and elastically deformable in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The substrate has through-holes penetrating in the first direction and lands formed at the ends of the through-holes. A circuit board connection structure in which the press-fit portion is inserted into the through-hole and stands upright, and the terminal body portion is held by the joint portion with respect to the land and the inner wall of the through-hole.

2. The press-fit terminal has a pair of second surfaces facing the second direction in a cross-section intersecting the first direction, and a pair of third surfaces facing the third direction which intersects both the first and second directions. The substrate connection structure according to claim 1, wherein plating is applied to only one of the pair of second surfaces or the pair of third surfaces.

3. A substrate connection structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, The system comprises a case that houses the aforementioned substrate connection structure, The case has a mating portion into which a female connector having female terminals can be mated, The mating portion has a terminal insertion hole through which the press-fit terminal is inserted, A power supply device in which, when the female connector is fitted into the mating portion, the press-fit terminal protruding from the back wall of the mating portion and the female terminal are electrically connected.

4. A pin-shaped male terminal that does not have the aforementioned press-fit portion, It comprises a base housing that holds the male terminal, The mating portion has terminal insertion holes through which the press-fit terminal and the male terminal are inserted. The power supply device according to claim 3, wherein when the female connector is fitted into the mating portion, the female terminal, the press-fit terminal, and the male terminal are electrically connected.

5. A substrate connection structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, A case in which the aforementioned substrate connection structure is housed, A pin-shaped male terminal that does not have the aforementioned press-fit portion, The male housing comprises a male housing that holds the male terminal, The male housing has a mating portion into which a female connector having female terminals can be mated, The mating portion has a terminal insertion hole through which the press-fit terminal is inserted, A power supply device in which, when the female connector is fitted into the mating portion, the press-fit terminal and the male terminal protruding from the back wall of the mating portion are electrically connected to the female terminal.

6. The substrate connection structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the material of the press-fit terminal is brass.

7. The power supply device according to claim 3, wherein the material of the press-fit terminal is brass when the power supply device is a device for communication or low-current applications.

8. The power supply device according to claim 3, wherein the material of the press-fit terminal is pure copper when the power supply device is a device for high-current applications.

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