Method for manufacturing connector with substrate

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate includes crimping a flexible portion of a press-fit terminal of the connector to an inner peripheral surface of a circuit board such that a tip portion of a through hole in a press-fit direction is located within a press-fit hole, pressing the flexible portion into the press-fit hole, and stopping pressing the flexible portion into the press-fit hole, the base end portion of the through hole in the press-in direction is positioned above the upper surface of the circuit board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, a substrate-attached connector including a circuit board and a connector mounted on the circuit board has been proposed. In one of the prior art substrate-attached connectors, the connector includes a press-in terminal and a housing for holding the press-in terminal, and the connector is mounted on the circuit board so that a flexible portion of the press-in terminal is pressed into a press-in hole of the circuit board (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Citation List

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: JP2020-194636A

[0006] Patent Document 2: JP2022-183630A Summary of the invention

[0007] In Patent Document 2, when the flexible portion of the press-in terminal is pressed into the press-in hole of the circuit board, the insertion force of the flexible portion into the press-in hole is reduced by offsetting the straight portion of the flexible portion between the outside and the inside. On the other hand, when the flexible portion is completely pressed into the press-in hole, the non-deformed portion of the flexible portion is arranged in the press-in hole. This may cause a large load to be applied to the press-in hole and eventually to the circuit board, which may cause problems with the circuit board.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate capable of reducing a load on a circuit board associated with press-fitting a press-fit terminal into a press-fit hole of the circuit board.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate according to the present invention is characterized as follows:

[0010] A method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate,

[0011] The substrate connector includes a circuit board having a press-in hole, and a connector mounted on the circuit board.

[0012] The connector comprises:

[0013] a press-in terminal having one end side pressed into the press-in hole of the circuit board in a press-in direction, and

[0014] housing, holding the press-fit terminals,

[0015] The press-in terminal comprises:

[0016] A flexible portion is provided in the width direction of the press-in terminal and is pressed against two side portions of the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole, wherein the width direction intersects with the press-in direction.

[0017] The flexible portion has a through hole penetrating along the plate thickness direction of the press-in terminal and extending along the press-in direction, wherein the plate thickness direction intersects the press-in direction and the width direction.

[0018] The method includes mounting the connector to the circuit board, and

[0019] The installation includes:

[0020] The flexible portion is pressed against the inner peripheral surface so that the end of the through hole in the pressing direction is located inside the pressing hole,

[0021] The flexible portion is pressed into the press-in hole, and

[0022] Press-fitting the flexible portion into the press-fit hole is stopped so that a base end portion of the through hole in the press-fitting direction is located above an upper surface of the circuit board.

[0023] According to the present invention, in the step of installing the connector to the circuit board, when the contact between the flexible portion and the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole begins, the terminal portion of the press-in direction of the through hole is located in the press-in hole, and in the state where the connector is completely installed on the circuit board, the base end portion of the press-in direction of the through hole is arranged closer to the base end side of the press-in direction than the base end side of the press-in direction of the circuit board. Here, when the flexible portion of the press-in terminal is pressed (inserted) into the press-in hole of the circuit board, the flexible portion is elastically deformed, so that the through hole becomes smaller in the width direction. That is, since the terminal portion of the through hole is located in the press-in hole at the beginning of the contact, the flexible portion can be easily elastically deformed, and in the state where the installation is completed, the base end portion of the through hole is arranged closer to the base end side of the press-in direction than the base end side surface of the circuit board, so that only the rebound force of the flexible portion (that is, the restoring force from the elastic deformation) is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole. As described above, according to the present invention, since only the rebound force is applied to the circuit board by configuring the elastically deformable portion of the flexible portion in the press-in hole of the circuit board, the load on the circuit board caused by pressing the press-in terminal into the press-in hole of the circuit board can be reduced.

[0024] The present invention has been briefly described above. In addition, the details of the present invention can be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and carrying out the reading mode of the present invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment"). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1is a front view of a tape-substrate connector obtained by the method for manufacturing the tape-substrate connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is composed Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a connector with a substrate connector is shown.

[0027] Figure 3 It is composed Figure 2 A perspective view of the housing of the connector is shown.

[0028] Figure 4 It is composed Figure 2 Front view of the terminals of the connector shown.

[0029] Figure 5 1 is a first view showing a method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state of a terminal relative to a board in a state in which the connector is being mounted on a board.

[0030] Figure 6 2 is a second view showing a method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state of a terminal relative to a board in a state where the connector is completely mounted on the board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the substrate-attached connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] In the following, for the convenience of description, Figure 1 As shown in the figure, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up" and "down" are defined. The "front-to-back direction", "left-to-right direction" and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. The up-down direction corresponds to the "press-in direction" according to the present invention, and the press-in direction refers to the direction in which the press-in terminal 20 is pressed into the press-in hole 3a of the circuit board 3. In addition, the upper side in the up-down direction corresponds to the "base end side" of the press-in direction, and the lower side in the up-down direction corresponds to the "end side" of the press-in direction. The left-to-right direction corresponds to the "width direction" according to the present invention, and the width direction corresponds to the width direction of the press-in terminal 20. The front-to-back direction corresponds to the "plate thickness direction" according to the present invention, and the plate thickness direction refers to the plate thickness direction of the press-in terminal 20.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the substrate connector 1 includes a connector 2 and a circuit board 3 on which the connector 2 is mounted. The connector 2 is a so-called printed circuit board (PCB) connector and is configured to be embedded in a mating connector (not shown). The connector 2 includes a housing 10 and a plurality of press-in terminals 20. As will be described later, the circuit board 3 is provided with a plurality of press-in holes 3a.

[0034] In the substrate-mounted connector 1, a plurality of press-in terminals 20 are respectively press-fitted into a plurality of press-in holes 3a, and the connector 2 is mounted on a circuit board 3. Then, the connector 2 (i.e., the substrate-mounted connector 1) mounted on the circuit board 3 is fitted to a mating connector, so that the terminals (not shown) of the mating connector and the conductor pattern (not shown) of the circuit board 3 are electrically connected via the press-in terminals 20. Hereinafter, the connector 2 and the circuit board 3 constituting the substrate-mounted connector 1 (housing 10 and press-in terminals 20) will be described in sequence.

[0035] First, the housing 10 will be described. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the housing 10 includes a housing body 11 formed in a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape with a bottom. The housing body 11 includes a substantially rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall 12 and a bottom wall 13 closing a lower end opening of the peripheral wall 12 .

[0036] The peripheral wall 12 is used as a so-called cover, and the housing (not shown) of the mating connector is embedded in its cylindrical hole. A terminal holding hole 14 is provided in the bottom wall 13, which penetrates in the up-down direction, and a press-in portion 22 of a press-in terminal 20 to be described later is pressed into the terminal holding hole 14, so that the press-in terminal 20 is held in the housing 10.

[0037] At the lower end of the housing body 11, i.e., the lower end of the bottom wall 13, a flange portion 15 protruding outward from the housing 10 is integrally provided. A fixing protrusion 16 protruding downward is provided on the lower end surface of the flange portion 15. The fixing protrusion 16 is inserted into a fixing hole in the circuit board 3 described later, thereby fixing the housing 10 (i.e., the connector 2) to the circuit board 3.

[0038] Next, the press-in terminal 20 will be described. Figure 4 As shown, the press-in terminal 20 is formed in a rod plate shape extending in the up-down direction and having a plate thickness in the front-back direction. The press-in terminal 20 is provided with a terminal connection portion 21 , a press-in portion 22 , and a flexible portion 23 .

[0039] The terminal connection portion 21 is provided at an upper end portion of the press-in terminal 20 , is a so-called tab-shaped male terminal, and is electrically connected to a terminal of a mating connector.

[0040] The press-in portion 22 is disposed between the terminal connection portion 21 and the flexible portion 23 in the vertical direction and further protrudes in the left-right direction beyond the other portions (rod-shaped portion). When the press-in portion 22 is pressed into the terminal holding hole 14 of the housing 10, the press-in terminal 20 is held by the housing 10.

[0041] The flexible portion 23 is provided at the lower end portion of the press-in terminal 20 , and when the flexible portion 23 is press-fitted into the press-in hole 3 a of the circuit board 3 , a pair of contact portions 24 b to be described later are press-fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole 3 a .

[0042] The flexible portion 23 includes a pair of elastic portions 24 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and extend in the up-down direction. Each elastic portion 24 integrally includes a first inclined portion 24a, a contact portion 24b, and a second inclined portion 24c.

[0043] The pair of first inclined portions 24 a are respectively provided in the upper side regions of the flexible portion 23 , and extend obliquely so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction from the upper side toward the lower side.

[0044] A pair of contact portions 24b are respectively provided in the central region of the flexible portion 23 in the vertical direction, and extend substantially linearly in the vertical direction to connect the first inclined portion 24a and the second inclined portion 24c in the vertical direction. Each of the pair of elastic portions 24 is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the press-in hole 3a. The length in the left-right direction between the contact surfaces of the pair of contact portions 24b and the inner circumferential surface of the press-in hole 3a is greater than the hole diameter of the press-in hole 3a.

[0045] The pair of second inclined portions 24 c are respectively provided in the lower side region of the flexible portion 23 , and extend obliquely so as to approach each other in the left-right direction from the upper side toward the lower side.

[0046] As described above, the flexible portion 23 is provided with a pair of first inclined portions 24a, a pair of contact portions 24b, and a pair of second inclined portions 24c, i.e., a pair of elastic portions 24, thereby defining a substantially elliptical through hole 25 extending in the up-down direction and penetrating in the front-rear direction. The lower end portion 26 of the through hole 25 is located on a side lower than the pair of contact portions 24b, and the upper end portion 27 of the through hole 25 is located on a side higher than the pair of contact portions 24b.

[0047] Thus, in the flexible portion 23, in the step of mounting the connector 2 to the circuit board 3 described later, when the pair of contact portions 24b and the inner peripheral surface of the press-fit hole 3a start to contact, the lower end portion 26 of the through hole 25 is located inside the press-fit hole 3a (see FIG. Figure 5 ), and in the state where the connector 2 is completely mounted on the circuit board 3, the upper end portion 27 of the through hole 25 is located on the upper side of the upper end surface of the circuit board 3 (see Figure 6 ).

[0048] When the flexible portion 23 constructed as described above is pressed (inserted) into the press-in hole 3a of the circuit board 3, the flexible portion 23 elastically deforms so that the through hole 25 becomes smaller in the left-right direction, that is, the pair of elastic portions 24 approach each other in the left-right direction.

[0049] Next, the circuit board 3 will be described. The circuit board 3 is formed into a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, for example. The circuit board 3 is provided with a plurality of press-in holes 3a (see FIG. 1 ) into which a plurality of press-in terminals 20 of the connector 2 are respectively pressed. Figure 5 and Figure 6). A conductor pattern (not shown) is formed on the circuit board 3, and the press-in terminal 20 pressed into the press-in hole 3a is electrically connected to the conductor pattern. The circuit board 3 is provided with a fixing hole (not shown) into which the fixing protrusion 16 of the housing 10 is inserted. The fixing protrusion 16 is inserted into the fixing hole, thereby fixing the housing 10 (i.e., the connector 2) to the circuit board 3.

[0050] The connector 2 (the housing 10 and the press-in terminals 20 ) and the circuit board 3 constituting the connector with substrate 1 have been described above. Next, a method for manufacturing the connector with substrate 1 will be described.

[0051] First, the press-in portions 22 of the plurality of press-in terminals 20 are respectively press-fitted into the plurality of terminal holding holes 14 of the housing 10. Thus, the press-in terminals 20 are held in the housing 10, and the connector 2 is completed.

[0052] Next, the flexible portions 23 of the plurality of press-in terminals 20 in the connector 2 are respectively pressed into the plurality of press-in holes 3a of the circuit board 3, and the fixing protrusions 16 of the housing 10 are inserted into the fixing holes of the circuit board 3. Thus, the connector 2 is mounted on the circuit board 3, and the substrate-attached connector 1 is completed.

[0053] In the step of mounting the connector 2 on the circuit board 3, that is, in the step of pressing the flexible portion 23 into the press-in hole 3a, when the flexible portion 23 (that is, the pair of contact portions 24b) and the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole 3a begin to contact, the lower end portion 26 of the through hole 25 is located in the press-in hole 3a (see FIG. Figure 5 Then, when the connector 2 is mounted on the circuit board 3, that is, when the flexible portion 23 is completely pressed into the press-in hole 3a, the upper end portion 27 of the through hole 25 is located on the upper side of the upper end surface of the circuit board 3 (see FIG. Figure 6 ).

[0054] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the lower end portion 26 of the through hole 25 is located in the press-in hole 3a at the start of contact, the flexible portion 23 can be easily elastically deformed, and in the state where the installation is completed, the upper end portion 27 in the through hole 25 is arranged on the upper side of the upper end surface of the circuit board (in other words, the upper end portion 27 in the through hole 25 is not located in the press-in hole 3a), so that only the repulsive force of the flexible portion 23 (that is, the restoring force from the elastic deformation) is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole 3a. That is, according to the present embodiment, since only the repulsive force is applied to the circuit board 3 by arranging the elastically deformable portion of the flexible portion 23 (particularly the pair of contact portions 24b that are easily elastically deformed) in the press-in hole 3a of the circuit board 3, the load on the circuit board 3 caused by the press-in terminal 20 being pressed into the press-in hole 3a can be reduced.

[0055] According to this embodiment, since the length between the contact surfaces of the pair of contact portions 24b and the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole 3a is greater than the hole diameter of the press-in hole 3a, the connection reliability between the press-in terminal 20 (ie, the connector 2) and the circuit board 3 is improved.

[0056] According to this embodiment, since the pair of contact portions 24b are located on the upper side of the lower end portion 26 of the through hole 25 and on the lower side of the upper end portion 27 of the through hole 25, only the expected rebound force is applied to the circuit board 3, thereby reducing the load on the circuit board 3 caused by the press-in terminal 20 being pressed into the press-in hole 3a of the circuit board 3.

[0057] According to the present embodiment, since the through hole 25 has a substantially elliptical shape, it is possible to easily adjust the elastic deformation of the flexible portion 23 (for example, the amount of elastic deformation, etc.).

[0058] According to the present embodiment, not only can the load on the circuit board 3 associated with the press-in terminal 20 being press-fitted into the press-in hole 3a be reduced, but also the insertion force of the press-in terminal 20 into the press-in hole 3a can be easily adjusted.

[0059] <Other embodiments>

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the materials, shapes, sizes, numbers, arrangement positions, etc. of the components in the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily selected without limitation as long as the present invention can be achieved.

[0061] Here, the features of the embodiments of the method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4], respectively. [1]

[0063] A method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate (1),

[0064] The substrate-attached connector comprises a circuit board (3) having a press-in hole (3a), and a connector (2) mounted on the circuit board (3).

[0065] The connector (2) comprises:

[0066] A press-in terminal (20) having one end side (lower side) pressed into the press-in hole (3a) of the circuit board in a press-in direction, and

[0067] A housing (10) holds the press-fit terminal (20),

[0068] The press-in terminal (20) comprises:

[0069] A flexible portion (23) is provided in the width direction (left-right direction) of the press-in terminal (20) and is pressed against two side portions (a pair of contact portions 24b) of the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole (3a), wherein the width direction intersects with the press-in direction (up-down direction).

[0070] The flexible portion (23) has a through hole (25) penetrating along the plate thickness direction (front-rear direction) of the press-in terminal (20) and extending along the press-in direction, wherein the plate thickness direction intersects the press-in direction and the width direction.

[0071] The method comprises mounting the connector (2) to the circuit board (3), and

[0072] The installation includes:

[0073] The flexible portion (23) is pressed against the inner peripheral surface so that the end portion (lower end portion 26) of the through hole (25) in the pressing direction is located inside the pressing hole (3a),

[0074] The flexible portion (23) is pressed into the press-in hole (3a), and

[0075] Stop pressing the flexible portion (23) into the press-in hole (3a) so that the base end (upper end 27) of the through hole (25) in the press-in direction is located above the upper surface (upper end surface) of the circuit board (3).

[0076] According to the structure of [1] above, during installation, when the flexible portion starts to contact the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole, the terminal end portion of the through hole in the press-in direction is located in the press-in hole, and when the connector is completely installed on the circuit board, the base end portion of the through hole in the press-in direction is located above the upper surface of the circuit board. Here, when the flexible portion of the press-in terminal is pressed (inserted) into the press-in hole of the circuit board, the flexible portion elastically deforms, causing the through hole to become smaller in the width direction. That is, since the terminal end portion of the through hole is located in the press-in hole when the contact starts, the flexible portion can be easily elastically deformed, and when the installation is completed, the base end portion of the through hole is closer to the base end side of the press-in direction than the base end side surface of the circuit board, so that only the rebound force of the flexible portion (that is, the restoring force from the elastic deformation) is applied to the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole. As described above, according to the above structure, since only the rebound force is applied to the circuit board by configuring the elastically deformable part of the flexible part in the press-in hole of the circuit board, the load on the circuit board caused by pressing the press-in terminal into the press-in hole of the circuit board can be reduced.

[0077] [2] The method according to [1] above, wherein:

[0078] The flexible portion (23) comprises:

[0079] a pair of elastic portions (24) spaced apart from each other in the width direction and extending in the pressing direction to define the through hole (25),

[0080] The pair of elastic parts (24) include:

[0081] A pair of first inclined portions (24a) are provided on the base end side (upper side) of the pair of elastic portions (24) in the pressing direction, and extend away from each other in the width direction (left-right direction) from the base end side (upper side) toward the tip end side (lower side) of the pair of elastic portions in the pressing direction.

[0082] a pair of second inclined portions (24c) provided on the distal end side (lower side) and extending from the proximal end side (upper side) toward the distal end side (lower side) in a manner approaching each other in the width direction (left-right direction); and

[0083] A pair of contact portions (24b) extends substantially linearly along the pressing direction (vertical direction) in a manner that connects the pair of first inclined portions (24a) and the pair of second inclined portions (24c) in the pressing direction, and the pair of contact portions are respectively pressed against the inner peripheral surface, and

[0084] During crimping, the length of the pair of contact portions (24b) in the width direction (left-right direction) is greater than the hole diameter of the press-fit hole (3a).

[0085] According to the configuration of [2] above, since the length between the contact surfaces of the pair of contact portions in the width direction is larger than the hole diameter of the press-fit hole, the connection reliability between the press-fit terminal and the circuit board is improved.

[0086] [3] The method according to [2] above, wherein:

[0087] The terminal end portion (lower end portion 26) is arranged lower than the pair of contact portions (24b), and

[0088] The base end portion (upper end portion 27) is provided higher than the pair of contact portions (24b).

[0089] According to the structure of [3] above, since the pair of contact portions are arranged to be higher than the end portion of the through hole and lower than the base end portion of the through hole, only the expected rebound force is applied to the circuit board, thereby reducing the load on the circuit board caused by the press-in terminal being pressed into the press-in hole of the circuit board.

[0090] [4] The method according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein:

[0091] The through hole (25) has a substantially elliptical shape.

[0092] According to the structure of [4] above, since the through hole has a substantially elliptical shape, it is possible to easily adjust the elastic deformation of the flexible portion (for example, the amount of elastic deformation, etc.).

[0093] [5] The method according to [2] above, wherein:

[0094] The length of the pair of contact portions (24b) in the pressing direction (vertical direction) is greater than the thickness of the circuit board.

[0095] According to the configuration of [5] above, since the length of the pair of contact portions in the press-fit direction is greater than the thickness of the circuit board, the connection reliability between the press-fit terminal and the circuit board is improved.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a connector with a substrate, The substrate connector includes a circuit board having a press-in hole, and a connector mounted on the circuit board. The connector comprises: a press-in terminal having one end side pressed into the press-in hole of the circuit board in a press-in direction, and housing, holding the press-fit terminals, The press-in terminal comprises: A flexible portion is provided in the width direction of the press-in terminal and is pressed against two side portions of the inner peripheral surface of the press-in hole, wherein the width direction intersects with the press-in direction. The flexible portion has a through hole penetrating along a plate thickness direction of the press-in terminal and extending along the press-in direction, the plate thickness direction intersecting the press-in direction and the width direction, the method comprising mounting the connector to the circuit board, and The installation includes: The flexible portion is pressed against the inner peripheral surface so that the end of the through hole in the pressing direction is located inside the pressing hole, The flexible portion is pressed into the press-in hole, and Press-fitting the flexible portion into the press-fit hole is stopped so that a base end portion of the through hole in the press-fitting direction is located above an upper surface of the circuit board.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible portion comprises: a pair of elastic portions spaced apart from each other in the width direction and extending in the pressing direction to define the through hole, The pair of elastic parts comprises: a pair of first inclined portions, which are provided on the base end side of the pair of elastic portions in the press-in direction and extend in such a manner as to be away from each other in the width direction from the base end side of the pair of elastic portions in the press-in direction toward the tip end side, a pair of second inclined portions provided on the distal end side and extending from the base end side toward the distal end side so as to approach each other in the width direction, and A pair of contact portions extending substantially linearly along the press-in direction in a manner connecting the pair of first inclined portions and the pair of second inclined portions in the press-in direction, the pair of contact portions being respectively pressed against the inner peripheral surface, and During crimping, the length of the pair of contact portions in the width direction is greater than the hole diameter of the press-fit hole.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The terminal portion is disposed lower than the pair of contact portions, and The base end portion is disposed higher than the pair of contact portions.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The through hole has a substantially elliptical shape.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The length of the pair of contact portions in the press-fitting direction is greater than the thickness of the circuit board.

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