Circuit structure and electrical connection box

Abstract

A circuit structure and electrical connection box are disclosed, enabling cost reduction of the circuit structure containing electronic components. The circuit structure includes electronic components, a conductive plate connected to the electronic components, and a retaining member for holding the conductive plate. The conductive plate has a mounting portion for mounting the electronic components and an identification mark for positioning and mounting the electronic components, the identification mark being formed by holes formed in the conductive plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to circuit structures and electrical connection boxes. Background Technology

[0002] To mount electronic components onto a substrate, identification marks are provided on the substrate. The mounting machine uses these identification marks to align and mount the electronic components onto the substrate. The identification marks are formed on the substrate, for example, by printing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The identification marks are also called positioning marks.

[0003] Prior technology literature

[0004] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-27510

[0006] [Summary of the Invention]

[0007] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Electrical connection boxes are sometimes located midway through the wiring path connecting electrical devices. These boxes have circuit structures containing electronic components. The circuit structure includes: a substrate for connecting the electronic components; and a resin retaining member (housing) for holding the substrate. In such circuit structures, identification marks, as described above, are used for mounting the electronic components. When a wiring pattern is formed on the substrate by printing, an identification mark can be formed by printing corresponding to that wiring pattern.

[0009] However, when the electronic components are connected to a conductive plate (busbar) without a wiring pattern instead of a substrate, an additional process is required, such as applying identification marks to the conductive plate using a laser. It should be noted that even with a substrate having a wiring pattern, applying identification marks using a laser, for example, requires an additional processing step. As a result, the cost of the circuit structure and the electrical connection box containing that circuit structure may increase. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a new technical means to reduce the cost of circuit structures with electronic components.

[0011] [Solution to the problem]

[0012] One aspect of the circuit structure disclosed herein includes electronic components, a conductive plate connected to the electronic components, and a retaining member for holding the conductive plate. The conductive plate has a mounting portion for mounting the electronic components and an identification mark for positioning and mounting the electronic components, the identification mark being formed by holes formed in the conductive plate.

[0013] An electrical connection box according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the circuit structure and a cover covering the circuit structure.

[0014] [Invention Effects]

[0015] According to this disclosure, the circuit structure has identification marks for mounting electronic components, but no additional process for applying the identification marks is required, thereby achieving cost reduction. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electrical connection box having the circuit structure of this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the circuit structure before the electronic components are installed.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a top view of the circuit structure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the circuit structure.

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the V-direction.

[0021] Figure 6 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the conductive plate and the mold used for embedding.

[0022] [Label Explanation]

[0023] 10 Electrical connection box

[0024] 11 Circuit Structure

[0025] 12 masks

[0026] 13 Conductive Plate

[0027] 13-1 First Conductive Plate

[0028] 13-2 Second Conductive Plate

[0029] 13-3 Third Conductive Plate

[0030] 14 Retaining components

[0031] 15 Electronic components

[0032] 16 Installation Department

[0033] 17 holes

[0034] 18 Base part

[0035] 19. Frame

[0036] 20 mounting holes

[0037] 21A end

[0038] 21B end

[0039] 22 Main body

[0040] 25 Opening

[0041] 30 molds

[0042] 31. Pin (support component)

[0043] 32. Convex-shaped part Detailed Implementation

[0044] <Summary of embodiments of this disclosure>

[0045] Hereinafter, a summary of the embodiments of this disclosure will be described.

[0046] (1) The circuit structure of this embodiment includes an electronic component, a conductive plate connected to the electronic component, and a holding member for holding the conductive plate. The conductive plate has a mounting portion for mounting the electronic component and an identification mark for positioning and mounting the electronic component. The identification mark is formed by a hole formed in the conductive plate.

[0047] For example, the conductive plate can be manufactured by stamping a metal sheet, during which holes are simultaneously formed in the metal sheet, thereby obtaining a conductive plate with identification marks. By mounting electronic components onto this conductive plate, the circuit structure of this embodiment is obtained. That is, according to the circuit structure of this embodiment, no additional process for imprinting identification marks is required, thus reducing the cost of the circuit structure.

[0048] (2) Preferably, the retaining member is made of resin, and a portion of the conductive plate is embedded in the retaining member, with the conductive plate and the retaining member being integrated. In this case, a conductive plate with holes is placed in a mold, and by supplying molten resin to the mold (i.e., by embedding molding), a structure in which the conductive plate is held by the retaining member can be obtained.

[0049] (3) According to the circuit structure described in (2), the conductive plate can be positioned and placed at a predetermined position in the mold by inserting the support members such as pins provided in the mold into the holes of the conductive plate. Therefore, when the circuit structure has multiple conductive plates, it is preferable that the multiple conductive plates are held in the holding member, and holes are formed in each of the conductive plates.

[0050] According to this structure, multiple conductive plates can be supported by support members such as pins provided in the mold. The holes, used as identification marks, are also used to position the conductive plates in the mold while maintaining the forming of the component. It should be noted that not all holes on the conductive plates need to be used as identification marks.

[0051] (4) In the circuit structure described in (2) or (3), it is preferable that a plurality of holes are formed on one of the conductive plates. In this case, the posture of the conductive plate is more stable by inserting the support members such as pins provided with the mold into the plurality of holes of the conductive plate respectively.

[0052] (5) Preferably, multiple holes serving as identification markers are provided separately. In this case, the positioning accuracy of the electronic components is improved. This is particularly suitable when positioning of electronic components is performed using numerical control based on planar coordinates during installation.

[0053] (6) In the circuit structure described in (5), preferably, a plurality of the conductive plates are held in the holding member, with the first conductive plate having a hole serving as an identification mark, and the second conductive plate having a hole serving as an identification mark. According to this structure, the holes serving as identification marks are provided separately in a plurality of locations, and the positioning accuracy of both the first and second conductive plates and the electronic components is improved.

[0054] (7) In addition, in the circuit structure described in (2) to (4), during the embedding molding process, a support member such as a pin of the mold is inserted into the hole of the conductive plate. However, the molten resin may flow out through the hole and the pin, across the conductive plate, to the area opposite to the resin supply area. Therefore, the retaining member formed by the molten resin is preferably configured as follows.

[0055] That is, the retaining member has a plate-shaped base portion disposed along the conductive plate, and an opening is provided in the base portion to expose the hole and the surrounding area containing the hole.

[0056] In this case, when the portion of the mold is in contact with the conductive plate at the opening, the molten resin is difficult to reach between the pin and the hole, thus preventing the molten resin from flowing out.

[0057] (8) The electrical connection box of this embodiment includes the circuit structure described in any one of (1) to (7) and a cover covering the circuit structure. According to the electrical connection box of this embodiment, there is no need for an additional process of applying identification marks to the conductive plate, and the cost of the electrical connection box including the circuit structure can be reduced.

[0058] <Details of the embodiments of this disclosure>

[0059] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, details of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that at least some of the embodiments described below can be combined arbitrarily.

[0060] [Regarding Electrical Connection Box 10]

[0061] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electrical connection box 10 equipped with the circuit structure 11 of this embodiment. The electrical connection box 10 can be mounted on various devices, but the electrical connection box 10 of this embodiment is mounted on an automobile. Specifically, although not shown, the electrical connection box 10 is located midway along the wiring path connecting the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device. The electrical connection box 10 includes the circuit structure 11 and a cover 12 that covers the circuit structure 11. The cover 12 is, for example, made of metal (aluminum or aluminum alloy) and has a heat dissipation function to release heat generated by the circuit structure 11. Although not shown, the electrical connection box 10 may also include other units mounted on the circuit structure 11 on the opposite side of the cover 12.

[0062] [Regarding circuit structure 11]

[0063] The circuit structure 11 includes multiple electronic components 15, multiple conductive plates 13, and a retaining member 14.

[0064] Electronic component 15 is a semiconductor relay, such as a field-effect transistor (FET). Electronic component 15 has multiple terminals (first terminal, second terminal, and third terminal), each terminal being connected to conductive plate 13 via solder or the like. Electronic component 15 can also be other components, such as a mechanical relay, resistor, coil, capacitor, etc. Electronic component 15 is electrically connected to conductive plate 13.

[0065] The conductive plate 13 is manufactured by stamping a metal plate into a predetermined shape. The conductive plate 13 is a metal plate, also known as a busbar. The conductive plate 13 is preferably a copper component, such as pure copper or a copper alloy. The conductive plate 13 is a conductor as a whole, and the wiring patterns that are typical of printed circuit boards are not formed on the conductive plate 13. Figure 1The circuit structure 11 shown includes a first conductive plate 13-1, a second conductive plate 13-2, and a third conductive plate 13-3. The thickness of each conductive plate 13 is smaller than its width. The thickness of the conductive plate 13 varies depending on the circuit structure 11, for example, it is more than 1 mm, less than 2 mm, and in this embodiment it is 1.5 mm.

[0066] The retaining member 14 is made of thermoplastic resin and is formed by injection molding. In this embodiment, the retaining member 14 is manufactured by embedding the conductive plate 13 into the injection molding mold, as will be described later. Therefore, with a portion of the conductive plate 13 embedded in the retaining member 14, the conductive plate 13 and the retaining member 14 are integrated. The retaining member 14 is made of, for example, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), nylon, PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene), etc., and has insulating properties. The retaining member 14 holds the three conductive plates 13 and functions as the housing of the circuit structure 11.

[0067] The retaining member 14 has a plate-shaped central base portion 18 and a surrounding frame portion 19. The main body portion 22 of the conductive plate 13 for mounting electronic components 15 is provided on the base portion 18. The main body portions 22 of the three conductive plates 13 are arranged in a planar manner without overlapping and are provided on the base portion 18. Mounting holes 20 for fixing the cover 12 are provided in the frame portion 19. The end portion 21A of the first conductive plate 13-1 and the end portion 21B of the second conductive plate 13-2 protrude outwards from the frame portion 19. Cables (not shown) are connected to these ends 21A and 21B.

[0068] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional view of the circuit structure 11 before the installation of electronic component 15. (Example) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the conductive plate 13 has a mounting portion 16 for mounting electronic components 15. The mounting portion 16 is a portion of the main body 22 of the conductive plate 13 where the electronic components 15 are stacked. The electronic components 15 are mounted across two adjacent conductive plates 13, 13.

[0069] When XY plane coordinates are defined along the plane containing the conductive plate 13 (main body 22), the direction in which the plurality of conductive plates 13 are arranged is defined as the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the Y direction is defined as the X direction. When the direction orthogonal to both the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction, the three-dimensional coordinates are defined by the XYZ directions. The conductive plate 13 is held in the holding member 14 such that its length direction is aligned with the X direction. Figure 1In the arrangement shown, four electronic components 15 are arranged along the X direction in the first column on one side of the Y direction, and another four electronic components 15 are arranged along the X direction in the second column on the other side of the Y direction. The width dimension of the conductive plate 13 is the dimension in the Y direction, and the thickness dimension is the dimension in the Z direction.

[0070] The conductive plate 13 has an identification mark M located in a different area from the mounting portion 16. The identification mark M is used to position and mount the electronic component 15 onto the conductive plate 13. The identification mark M is also called a positioning mark. The identification mark M is formed by a hole 17 formed in the conductive plate 13. The hole 17 penetrates the conductive plate 13. Holes 17 are formed in each of the three conductive plates 13.

[0071] Multiple holes 17 are formed in the conductive plate 13. In this embodiment, two holes 17 are formed in each conductive plate 13. As described above, the retaining member 14 is manufactured by inserting the conductive plate 13 into a mold. At this time, it is necessary to position and place the conductive plate 13 in the mold. Therefore, the mold 30 (see reference 30) is inserted into the two holes 17 of the conductive plate 13. Figure 6 The conductive plate 13 is supported by two points, and its posture is more stable in the mold 30. Figure 6 This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the conductive plate 13 and the mold 30 used for embedding.

[0072] The diameter of the hole 17 is preferably greater than or equal to the thickness of the conductive plate 13. For example, if the thickness of the conductive plate 13 is 1.5 mm, the diameter of the hole 17 is 2 mm.

[0073] exist Figure 1 In the circuit structure 11 shown, a total of six holes 17 are formed, but two of these holes 17 are used as identification marks M. The two holes 17 used as identification marks M are also used to position the conductive plate 13 in the mold 30 during the embedding process. The remaining four holes 17 are not used as identification marks M, but are used to position the conductive plate 13 in the mold 30 during the embedding process.

[0074] Figure 3 This is a top view of the circuit structure 11. It illustrates the two holes 17 used as identification marker M. The hole 17 serving as identification marker M is formed on one side located in the Y direction (in...). Figure 3 The first conductive plate 13-1 (located on the upper side) and the other side (located in the Y direction, different from the first conductive plate 13-1) are located on the upper side. Figure 3 On the second conductive plate 13-2 (located on the lower side). To further explain, on one side of the first conductive plate 13-1 in the X direction (in... Figure 3The hole 17 is formed in the region on the left side (in the middle) and on the other side of the second conductive plate 13-2 in the X direction (in the middle). Figure 3 The hole 17 formed in the area (right side) becomes the identification mark M. Thus, the two holes 17, separated in both the X and Y directions, are used as identification marks M. The two holes 17 formed in the third conductive plate 13-3 are not used as identification marks M.

[0075] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the circuit structure 11. As described above, the retaining member 14 has a plate-shaped base portion 18 and a surrounding frame portion 19. The base portion 18 and the frame portion 19 are integrally formed by injection molding. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The cross-sectional view in the V direction. The base portion 18 is the portion provided along the main body portion 22 of the conductive plate 13. Figure 5 This illustrates a configuration where the base portion 18 and the conductive plate 13 (main body portion 22) overlap along the Z-direction. For example... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, an opening 25 is provided in the substrate portion 18, which exposes the hole 17 of the conductive plate 13 and the surrounding area A including the hole 17. The opening 25 is a partial defect formed in the plate-shaped substrate portion 18.

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, opening 25 is provided corresponding to all holes 17 and the surrounding area A. The outline shape of opening 25 is set in various cases depending on the shape of the surrounding area. Opening 25 is formed by the mold 30 (see reference) during the insertion process. Figure 6 It is produced by having a convex shape portion 32.

[0077] like Figure 6 As shown, during the insertion molding process, the mold 30 has a convex portion 32 with a pin 31 at its center, the periphery of which is in surface contact with the conductive plate 13. Molten resin is supplied to the mold cavity containing the space K around the convex portion 32. The retaining member 14 is obtained by curing the molten resin. Figure 5 As shown, the convex portion 32 (see reference) in the base portion 18 of the retaining member 14 Figure 6 The portion of the mold 30 forms an opening 25 that exposes the hole 17 and the surrounding area A containing the hole 17. The opening 25 is formed in the retaining member 14 by the convex portion 32 of the mold 30.

[0078] Thus, molten resin is supplied with the convex portion 32, which is part of the mold, in contact with the conductive plate 13 at the opening 25. Therefore, the molten resin is less likely to reach between the pin 31 and the hole 17, preventing it from flowing out of the conductive plate 13 to the area opposite the resin supply region. In particular, when the hole 17 is an elongated hole, a gap is formed between the elongated hole and the pin 31. Resin can easily flow out through this gap. However, the contact between the convex portion 32 and the conductive plate 13 prevents this outflow.

[0079] exist Figure 3 In this embodiment, the shape of the hole 17 is arbitrary, but the hole 17 that serves as the identification mark M is preferably a perfect circle. The conductive plate 13 is manufactured by stamping a metal plate, during which the hole 17 is formed simultaneously. The diameter of the hole 17 is small; when it is smaller than the thickness of the conductive plate 13, the die (punch) for stamping the hole 17 becomes thinner, making it difficult to form the hole 17. Therefore, in this embodiment, the diameter of the hole 17 is set to be greater than or equal to the thickness of the conductive plate 13, thereby making it easier to form the hole 17.

[0080] Two holes 17 are formed on the conductive plate 13, but alternatively, one of the two holes 17 on a single conductive plate 13 may be circular while the other is larger than circular. For example, the other hole 17 may be an oblong shape with a minor axis having the same diameter as the hole 17 on the other side. It should be noted that in the following description, in the case of an oblong shape, the diameter is referred to as the minor axis.

[0081] This is because, when the retaining member 14 is formed by insert molding, as described above (refer to...) Figure 6 The conductive plate 13 is placed in the mold 30 because it needs to be positioned in the mold 30. For this purpose, pins 31, which are part of the mold 30, are inserted into the two holes 17 of the conductive plate 13. The cross-sectional shape of the pins 31 preferably matches the shape of the holes 17. However, when the shapes of both holes 17 match the cross-sectional shape of the pins 31, the operation of passing the two pins 31 through the two holes 17 can sometimes become difficult due to manufacturing errors. Therefore, one of the two holes 17 has the same hole shape (a perfect circle) as the cross-sectional shape of the pin 31, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the other of the two holes 17 has a hole shape (oblong shape) larger than the cross-sectional shape of the pin 31. This makes it easier to pass the two pins 31 through the two holes 17 in each conductive plate 13.

[0082] [Regarding the circuit structure 11 of this embodiment]

[0083] The circuit structure 11 of this embodiment (refer to) Figure 1 , Figure 2The device includes an electronic component 15, a conductive plate 13 to which the electronic component 15 is connected, and a retaining member 14 for holding the conductive plate 13. The conductive plate 13 has a mounting portion 16 for mounting the electronic component 15 and an identification mark M for positioning and mounting the electronic component 15. The identification mark M is formed by a hole 17 formed in the conductive plate 13.

[0084] In this embodiment, the conductive plate 13 is manufactured by stamping a metal sheet, during which holes 17 are simultaneously formed in the metal sheet. This yields a conductive plate 13 with an identification mark M. An electronic component 15 is then mounted on the conductive plate 13 to obtain a circuit structure 11. That is, according to this embodiment, the circuit structure 11 does not require an additional process for imprinting the identification mark M, thus reducing the cost of the circuit structure 11. As a result, the cost of the electrical connection box 10 containing the circuit structure 11 can be reduced.

[0085] The retaining member 14 is made of thermoplastic resin and is manufactured by embedding molding. A portion of the conductive plate 13 is embedded in the retaining member 14, and the conductive plate 13 and the retaining member 14 are integrated. That is, the conductive plate 13 with holes 17 is placed in a mold, and molten resin is supplied to the mold to obtain a structure in which the conductive plate 13 is held by the retaining member 14.

[0086] In the embedded forming, such as Figure 6 As shown, by inserting the pins 31 provided in the mold 30 into the holes 17 of the conductive plate 13, the conductive plate 13 can be positioned and placed at a predetermined position in the mold 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, three conductive plates 13 are held in the holding member 14, and holes 17 are formed in each of the three conductive plates 13. The holes 17, which serve as identification marks M, are also used to position the conductive plates 13 in the mold 30 during the forming of the holding member 14. Furthermore, in this embodiment, two holes 17 are formed in one conductive plate 13. By inserting the pins 31 into the two holes 17 of the conductive plate 13, the posture of the conductive plate 13 is more stable.

[0087] In this embodiment, when installing the electronic component 15, two of the six holes 17 are used as identification marks M. It should be noted that, during the installation of the electronic component 15, at least two of the six holes 17 may also be used as identification marks M, while the remaining holes 17 are not used as identification marks M. For example, if three holes 17 are used as identification marks M, two holes 17 can be used as positioning references, and the other hole 17 can be used for calibration. In this way, not all holes 17 of the conductive plate 13 need to be used as identification marks M.

[0088] The holes 17, which serve as identification marks M, are separately positioned along both the X and Y directions. During the installation of the electronic component 15, its positioning is achieved through numerical control based on the XY plane coordinates. By using the two separately positioned holes 17 as identification marks M, the positioning accuracy of the electronic component 15 is improved.

[0089] [Other structures]

[0090] In this embodiment, a portion of the conductive plate 13 is embedded in the resin retaining member 14. That is, the retaining member 14 is an embedded molded article in which the conductive plate 13 is integrally formed. However, such a structure, which uses the hole 17 of the conductive plate 13 as an identification mark M, can also be applied to conductive plates 13 that are not embedded molded articles.

[0091] The number and arrangement of conductive plates 13 and electronic components 15 may also be different from those shown in the figure.

[0092] Hole 17, used as an identification mark M, is also set at any position.

[0093] The embodiments described are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the invention is defined not by the embodiments but by the claims, and includes all modifications within the range equivalent to the structures described in the claims.

Claims

1. A circuit structure, wherein the circuit structure is provided with an electronic component, a plurality of conductive plates to which the electronic component is connected, and a holding member that holds the plurality of conductive plates, the holding member is made of resin, the conductive plate and the holding member are integrated in a state where a part of the conductive plate is embedded in the holding member, the plurality of conductive plates have a mounting portion on which the electronic component is mounted and an identification mark for positioning and mounting the electronic component, the identification mark is constituted by a hole formed in the conductive plate, a hole is formed in each of the plurality of conductive plates, a plurality of holes are formed in one of the conductive plates, and when the holding member is manufactured by insert molding by placing the conductive plate in a mold, the conductive plate is supported by inserting a pin that is a part of the mold into each of the plurality of holes.

2. The circuit structure according to claim 1, wherein the holes that become identification marks are provided separately in a plurality.

3. The circuit structure according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of conductive plates are held by the holding member, the hole that becomes an identification mark is formed in a first conductive plate, the hole that becomes an identification mark is formed in a second conductive plate.

4. The circuit structure according to claim 1, wherein the holding member has a plate-shaped base portion along which the conductive plate is disposed, an opening is provided in the base portion, the opening exposing the hole and a region including the periphery of the hole.

5. An electrical connection box, comprising: the circuit structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a cover that covers the circuit structure.

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