PCB adapter for compact and direct electrical contacting of conductors with a PCB

Abstract

Printed circuit board adapter (1) for compact and direct electrical contacting of conductors (100) partially covered with insulation (110) with a printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board adapter (1) has a base body (10) with a conductor receptacle (11) for each conductor (100) extending along a respective longitudinal axis (X) through the base body (10), wherein the conductor receptacles (11) are arranged in groups (A, B) and have an insertion opening (12) orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axis (X), through which the respective conductor (100) can be arranged in the respective conductor receptacle (11) running parallel to the respective longitudinal axis (X), wherein the circuit board adapter (1) further comprises a cover element (20) which can be fixed to the base body (10) for each group (A, B) of conductor receptacles (11), which cover element is designed to close the insertion openings (12) of the respective group (A, B) and to fix the conductors (100) of the respective group (A, B) in the respective conductor receptacle (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a printed circuit board adapter for compact and direct electrical contacting of conductors partially covered with insulation with a printed circuit board.

[0002] Individual conductors can be contacted by simply placing or inserting them into a circuit board and then soldering them to it.

[0003] If several individual conductors or several conductors of a cable are to be contacted with the circuit board, it is already known in the prior art to overmold them with plastic and thereby fix them in a predetermined arrangement to one another and a predetermined orientation for mounting on the circuit board.

[0004] Plug-in connections for printed circuit boards are also known, but these are comparatively complex and expensive, as both plugs and sockets are required, which in turn have to be assembled and have a high number of parts.

[0005] If no plug connection is to be used, the conductors must be pre-assembled using an injection molding process, which is complex and expensive and requires special production machines.

[0006] Various printed circuit board adapters and aspects of such adapters are already known from the prior art, and in particular from the documents DE 10 2008 020 969 A1, DE 103 59 250 B4, and WO 85 / 02 300 A1. However, these do not provide for a group-based arrangement of the conductor receptacles, nor do they extend orthogonally to the longitudinal axes of the conductors through the associated base body, resulting in a less compact contact compared to the printed circuit board adapter according to the invention. Furthermore, only DE 103 59 250 B4 enables direct electronic contact.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a printed circuit board adapter by means of which conductors to be contacted with a printed circuit board can be pre-assembled in a simple manner.

[0008] This problem is solved by the combination of features according to patent claim 1.

[0009] According to the invention, a printed circuit board adapter is therefore proposed for the compact and direct electrical contacting of conductors, some of which are sheathed with insulation, with a printed circuit board. Direct contacting is understood here as meaning that the conductors are to be electrically connected, for example, by soldering, directly to the printed circuit board or to contacts provided on the printed circuit board. The conductors can be individual conductors that are bundled together by the printed circuit board adapter. Alternatively, at least some of the conductors can be the conductors of a multi-core line or cable, which can be pre-assembled with the printed circuit board adapter for connection to the printed circuit board.According to the invention, the printed circuit board adapter comprises a base body with a conductor receptacle for each conductor extending through the base body along a respective longitudinal axis, wherein, for the avoidance of doubt, these conductor receptacles preferably run parallel. The conductor receptacles are arranged in groups and have an insertion opening orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axis, through which insertion opening the respective conductor can be arranged in the respective conductor receptacle running parallel to the respective longitudinal axis. By means of a joining movement orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the conductor receptacle, a conductor can be arranged in the conductor receptacle through the respective insertion opening running parallel to the longitudinal axis.Inserting the conductor along the longitudinal axis into the conductor receptacle is not necessary and preferably not possible either. This can be prevented, for example, by cutting edges designed to cut into the insulation of the respective conductor and prevent movement of the conductor along the longitudinal axis. The circuit board adapter proposed according to the invention further comprises a cover element for each group of conductor receptacles that can be fixed to the base body. This cover element is designed to close the insertion openings of the respective group and to fix the conductors of the respective group in the respective conductor receptacle.

[0010] Because the base body and the cover elements can be manufactured from plastic, for example, easily and independently of the immediate pre-assembly of the conductors, the actual pre-assembly, ie the arrangement of the conductors in the circuit board adapter, can be carried out independently of a complex manufacturing process.

[0011] The conductors simply need to be positioned in the conductor receptacles of the base body and the insertion openings then need to be closed by the cover elements, which simultaneously fixes the conductors in the conductor receptacles.

[0012] An advantageous further development provides that the base body is designed in particular in the shape of a cuboid or with a rectangular basic shape and provides a group of conductor receptacles on each of two opposite longitudinal sides, the insertion openings of which are open towards the respective longitudinal side.

[0013] In principle, however, other shapes of the base body are also possible. For example, it can be cylindrical or have a square basic shape.

[0014] However, the cuboid shape allows a space-saving arrangement of the conductor receptacles along the long sides, so that the orthogonal broad sides or the depth of the base body can be reduced to a minimum.

[0015] If the conductor receptacles are divided into a group per long side, they are preferably arranged in a row so that the circuit board adapter provides the conductors or the conductor receptacles in two rows.

[0016] In order to fix the at least one cover element, it is preferably provided that the at least one cover element and the base body have fastening elements corresponding to one another, wherein the at least one cover element can be fixed to the base body in particular by hot caulking or a snap-in connection.

[0017] For hot caulking, it can be provided, for example, that the base body has two webs or projections for each cover element and the cover element has two openings, so that the cover element with the openings can be guided over the projections and these can then be formed by heat, fixing the cover element to the base body, whereby a positive and / or material-locking connection that cannot be removed without destruction is produced.

[0018] To produce a snap-in connection, the base body and cover element each have snap-in elements that can be locked together, by means of which a positive-locking and non-destructively detachable connection between the base body and cover element can be produced.

[0019] Preferably, each conductor receptacle has a fastening section along the longitudinal axis and a centering section, preferably immediately following it. The fastening section is designed to fix a section of the respective conductor covered with insulation in the base body, whereas the centering section is designed to align and center a section of the respective conductor free of insulation in a predetermined position. As a result, the section of the conductor free of insulation can protrude from the base body by a predetermined length in the predetermined position and form or provide a free end for contacting the circuit board.

[0020] Furthermore, pre-assembly means or elements extending into the conductor receptacle, for example in the form of projections, can be provided in the fastening section, which are designed to releasably hold the section of the respective conductor covered with the insulation in the fastening section.

[0021] Preferably, the fastening section can have projections that delimit the insertion opening, in particular, determine the width of the insertion opening and form the pre-assembly means. It can be provided that the width of the insertion opening is selected to be equal to or smaller than the diameter of the insulation-covered conductor, so that the conductor can be pressed through the insertion opening by elastic deformation of the insulation, but cannot slip out of the conductor receptacle due to the elastic deformation alone.

[0022] Furthermore, at least one cover element is provided with fixing means, preferably in the form of ribs or webs, which simultaneously provide strain relief for the conductors on the circuit board adapter and the circuit board. These ribs or webs are designed to extend into the fastening sections of the conductor receptacles of the associated group of conductor receptacles and to permanently fix the section of the respective conductor covered with insulation, for example, by pressing or cutting into the insulation. Preferably, several such ribs or webs are provided on each of the cover elements, which run parallel and are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis.

[0023] According to an advantageous variant, the fixing means can be designed as at least one rib, which spans all insertion openings of the group, i.e., extends orthogonally to the longitudinal axis(es). On the base body, and in particular between the insertion openings of the group, a recess is provided for each rib to accommodate the at least one rib, so that the at least one rib can enter the conductor receptacle in the region of the insertion openings and into the recess outside the insertion opening.

[0024] In addition to the long sides already mentioned and the wide sides orthogonal to them, the circuit board adapter can have two opposite sides that determine the basic shape of the base body, one of which is intended as the circuit board side for installation or orientation in the direction of the circuit board and the other as the conductor side, at which the conductors enter the base body or into the conductor receptacles.

[0025] Based on this, the circuit board side can have a contact surface running orthogonally to the longitudinal axes of the conductor receptacles for contact with the circuit board. On the contact surface and in particular on a section of the contact surface formed by the base body and / or the at least one cover element, at least one plug-in body is provided, which is designed to code the positioning of the circuit board adapter on the circuit board and / or to detachably hold the circuit board adapter on the circuit board. The coding can be used to implement fail-safe assembly in the sense of Poka Yoke, wherein the plug-in body also serves to hold the circuit board adapter on the circuit board so that it cannot slip out of the intended position until the conductors are finally connected to the circuit board or its contacts.

[0026] The plug-in body is preferably designed as a cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped pin, which has plastically or elastically deformable deformation sections on its outer circumference, which are deformed when inserted into the circuit board, thereby creating a tight fit of the adapter on the circuit board.

[0027] Furthermore, the base body can have a web separating each two conductor receptacles of a group, by means of which a contour of the conductor receptacles of the group running over the webs is meander-shaped in an axial view.

[0028] The conductors preferably have an identical diameter or identical cross-sections, although different cross-sections may also be provided, with the respective conductor receptacle being designed accordingly.

[0029] Furthermore, the conductor can be formed from a single wire or a plurality of individual wires, whereby the free end of the conductor, especially if it consists of a plurality of individual wires, can be tinned or resistance-compressed. Tinning simplifies contacting or electrical connection to the circuit board by soldering, while resistance compression simplifies contacting or electrical connection by pressing.

[0030] The features disclosed above can be combined as desired, as long as this is technically possible and they do not contradict each other.

[0031] Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims or are presented in more detail below, together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a circuit board adapter with conductors fixed therein in perspective view; Fig. 2 a circuit board adapter in exploded view; Fig. 3 a PCB adapter in a perspective view from below.

[0032] The figures are exemplary schematic. Identical reference numerals in the figures indicate identical functional and / or structural features, whereby the Fig. 1 to 3 preferably each show different views of the same circuit board adapter 1, so that the features are basically present in all figures and descriptions of the features accordingly preferably apply to all figures.

[0033] In Fig. 1 shows the printed circuit board adapter 1 with the conductors 100 accommodated therein, wherein the printed circuit board adapter 1 has five conductor receptacles 11 for this purpose, which are divided into two groups A, B.

[0034] Basically, the printed circuit board adapter 1 consists of a single base body 10 and at least one cover element 20 or, in this case, two cover elements 20. The base body 10 or the entire printed circuit board adapter has a space-saving cuboid shape with long sides 31 and, compared to these, shorter broad sides 32. A first group A comprises three conductor receptacles 11 arranged in a row on one long side 31 of the base body 10, and a second group B comprises two conductor receptacles 11 on an opposite long side 31 of the base body 10.

[0035] According to the invention, the conductors 100 are not overmolded with a material or adapter for compact and direct electrical contact with a printed circuit board. Instead, the printed circuit board adapter 1 provides conductor receptacles 11 extending along a respective longitudinal axis X through the base body 10, each of which is opened orthogonally to the longitudinal axis X by an insertion opening 12, so that the conductors 100 can be easily arranged in the conductor receptacles 11 through the insertion openings 12, running parallel to the longitudinal axis X. The insertion openings 12 are closed by the cover element(s) 20, which simultaneously fix the conductors 100 in the conductor receptacles 11.

[0036] The conductor receptacles 11 of the first group A are open to the first longitudinal side 31 and the conductor receptacles 11 of the second group B are open to the opposite longitudinal side 31, on each of which a cover element 20 can be arranged.

[0037] As particularly in Fig. 2, the conductor receptacles 11 each have two directly successive sections, of which a first section is designed as a fastening section 14 and a second section as a centering section 15.

[0038] A section 114 of the respective conductor 100, sheathed with insulation 110, can be arranged in the fastening section 14 and fixed in the base body 10. For pre-assembly or temporary pre-fixing of the conductor 100, pre-assembly means 16 designed as projections are provided, which reduce the width of the insertion openings 12 to a size equal to or smaller than the diameter of the section 114 of the conductor 100 sheathed with insulation 110, so that the conductor 100 or its insulation 110 can be arranged in the conductor receptacle 11 in an elastically deformed manner during a joining movement orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X and thus fixed. Accordingly, this pre-fixing can be released reversibly and non-destructively at any time.

[0039] The centering section 15 is designed to align and center a section 115 of the respective conductor 100 that is free of insulation in a predetermined position. Accordingly, the conductor 100, with the section 115 free of insulation 110, can protrude from the base body in the predetermined position and at a predetermined length on a circuit board side 33 facing the circuit board during intended use, so that this section 115 free of insulation 110 can be electrically connected to the circuit board or to contacts provided on the circuit board.

[0040] As in the Fig. 1 to 3, fastening elements 13, 23 corresponding to one another are formed on the base body 10 and the cover elements 20, by means of which the cover elements 20 can be securely and permanently fixed to the base body 10.

[0041] The fastening elements 13 of the base body 10 are webs which can pass through openings or elongated holes 23 provided on the cover elements 20 as fastening elements 23, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to then be formed by hot caulking behind the cover elements 20, so that at least a positive connection is produced between the cover elements 20 and the base body 10.

[0042] To fix the conductor 100 in the conductor receptacles 11, each of the cover elements 20 provides three fixing means 27 designed as ribs and spanning all insertion openings 12 of the respective group A, B, which apply force to the conductors 100 via the respective insulation 110 in the fastening sections 14 and fix them.

[0043] On the longitudinal sides 31, between the insertion openings 12, recesses 17 corresponding to the ribs are provided, into which the ribs can extend.

[0044] As particularly in Fig. 3, the base body 10 has on its longitudinal sides 31 a substantially meandering contour 30 formed by the conductor receptacles 11, the webs 19 extending between or separating two conductor receptacles 11, and the pre-assembly means 16 provided as projections.

[0045] Also in Fig.3 shows the circuit board side 33 facing the circuit board during intended use, on which two plug-in bodies 18 designed as pins protrude from the base body 10. With the plug-in bodies 18, the circuit board adapter 1 can be plugged into holes provided in the circuit board, which on the one hand enables coding for a poka-yoke system and on the other hand allows the circuit board adapter 1 to be held on the circuit board and strain-relieved until the circuit board adapter 1 is firmly fixed to the circuit board by the permanent and secure connection of the conductors 100 to the contacts provided on the circuit board.

[0046] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable that utilize the presented solution even in fundamentally different embodiments.

Claims

[1] Printed circuit board adapter (1) for compact and direct electrical contacting of conductors (100) partially covered with insulation (110) with a printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board adapter (1) has a base body (10) with a conductor receptacle (11) for each conductor (100) extending along a respective longitudinal axis (X) through the base body (10), wherein the conductor receptacles (11) are arranged in groups (A, B) and have an insertion opening (12) orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axis (X), through which the respective conductor (100) can be arranged in the respective conductor receptacle (11) running parallel to the respective longitudinal axis (X), wherein the circuit board adapter (1) further comprises a cover element (20) which can be fixed to the base body (10) for each group (A, B) of conductor receptacles (11), which cover element is designed to close the insertion openings (12) of the respective group (A, B) and to fix the conductors (100) of the respective group (A, B) in the respective conductor receptacle (11). [2] Printed circuit board adapter according to claim 1, wherein the base body (10) is in particular cuboid-shaped and provides on two opposite longitudinal sides (31) a group (A, B) of conductor receptacles (11) each, the insertion openings (12) of which are open towards the respective longitudinal side (31). [3] Printed circuit board adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one cover element (20) and the base body (10) have fastening elements (13, 23) corresponding to one another and the at least one cover element (20) can be fixed to the base body (10) in particular by hot caulking or a snap-in connection. [4] Printed circuit board adapter according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each conductor receptacle (11) has a fastening section (14) and a centering section (15) along the longitudinal axis (X), wherein the fastening section (14) is designed to fix a section (114) of the respective conductor (100) covered with the insulation (110) in the base body (10), wherein the centering section (15) is designed to align and center a section (115) of the respective conductor (100) free of insulation in a predetermined position. [5] Printed circuit board adapter according to the preceding claim, wherein pre-assembly means (16) extending into the conductor receptacle (11) are provided in the fastening section (14), which pre-assembly means are designed to releasably hold the section (114) of the respective conductor (100) sheathed with the insulation (110) in the fastening section (14). [6] Printed circuit board adapter according to the preceding claim, wherein the fastening section (14) has projections which delimit the insertion opening (12), in particular which determine the width of the insertion opening (12) and which form the pre-assembly means (16). [7] Printed circuit board adapter according to one of claims 4 to 6, wherein fixing means (27) are provided on the at least one cover element (20), in particular in the form of ribs or webs, which are designed to extend into the fastening sections (14) of the conductor receptacles (11) of the associated group (A, B) of conductor receptacles (11) and to permanently fix the section (114) of the respective conductor (100) sheathed with the insulation (110). [8] Printed circuit board adapter according to the preceding claim, wherein the fixing means (27) is designed as at least one rib which spans all insertion openings (12) of the group (A, B), wherein on the base body (10) and in particular between the insertion openings (12) of the group (A, B) a recess (17) for receiving the at least one rib is provided for each rib. [9] Printed circuit board adapter according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a circuit board side (33) with a contact surface extending orthogonally to the longitudinal axes (X) of the conductor receptacles (11) for contact with the circuit board, wherein at least one plug-in body (18) is provided on the contact surface, which plug-in body is designed to encode the positioning of the circuit board adapter (1) on the circuit board and / or to releasably hold the circuit board adapter (1) on the circuit board. [10] Printed circuit board adapter according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base body (10) has a web (19) separating each two conductor receptacles (11) of a group (A, B) between each of these, through which a contour (30) of the conductor receptacles (11) of the group (A, B) extending over the webs (19) is meander-shaped in an axial view.

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