Electronic device structure

Abstract

To solve the problem that a conventional electric connector is applied to only a lateral insertion type enabling confirmation from above, and hardly applied to a longitudinal insertion type.SOLUTION: There is provided an electronic device structure that comprises a casing having its upper side opened, a device body housed in the casing, and a first connector arranged on the top surface of the device body, and the second connector is fitted to the first connector from above. The electronic device structure comprises a positioning part which is arranged within a range encircling the first connector in plan view and also positions one plane for detecting the fitting state of the second connector relative to the first connector, and the electronic device structure comprising longitudinal type connectors C1, C2 can have a fitting state and a half-fitting state between the connector C1, C2 confirmed using a simple fixture 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device structure mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to an electronic device structure having a function for checking the mating state of an electrical connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an example of the above-mentioned electronic device structure is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 relates to an electrical connector for preventing partial mating, in which a fluorescent paint is applied to the end of the mating portion of the male housing in an electrical connector in which a male housing and a female housing are mated with each other. This electrical connector is used, for example, in an automobile assembly line to electrically connect an electronic device mounted on a vehicle to an external harness.

[0003] When the two housings of the electrical connector are properly mated, the fluorescent paint coating is covered by the female housing and cannot be seen, but when the two are only partially mated, the fluorescent paint coating is visible. This allows an operator to check whether the electrical connector is properly mated by visual inspection or by camera images. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-175181 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the electrical connectors mentioned above are available in a horizontal insertion type where both housings are fitted together horizontally, and a vertical insertion type where both housings are fitted together vertically, but for example, when connecting an on-board electronic device to a harness on an automobile assembly line, there are complex structures around them, so visual inspection by workers and imaging by cameras are exclusively performed from above. For this reason, conventional electrical connectors are limited to horizontal insertion types that can be checked from above, and it is difficult to apply them to vertical insertion types.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and aims to provide an electronic device structure, particularly in an electronic device structure equipped with a vertical-insertion type connector, which allows the mated and semi-mated states of the connector to be checked using simple tools, and makes it possible to prevent or correct the semi-mated state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The electronic device structure according to the present invention includes a housing with an open top, a device main body accommodated in the housing, and a first connector arranged on the top surface of the device main body, in which a second connector is fitted into the first connector from above, and is an electronic device structure with a vertical insertion connector.The electronic device structure is characterized by including a positioning portion that is arranged in an area surrounding the first connector in a plan view and that determines a plane for detecting a semi-fitted state of the second connector relative to the first connector. Effect of the Invention

[0008] By adopting the above configuration, the electronic device structure according to the present invention can check the mated and semi-mated states of the second connector with respect to the first connector using a simple tool having a flat surface, particularly in an electronic device structure having a vertical insertion connector. Furthermore, the above electronic device structure can prevent a situation in which the second connector is transported to the next process in a semi-mated state when connecting an electronic device mounted on a vehicle to a harness on an automobile assembly line, for example, and can also correct the second connector to a correct mated state by pressing with the tool. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of an electronic device structure according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic device structure shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a semi-fitted state of the second connector. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of an electronic device structure according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of an electronic device structure according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of an electronic device structure according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] First Embodiment 1 and 2 includes a housing 1 with an open top, a device main body 2 housed in the housing 2, and a first connector C1 arranged on the top surface of the device main body 2, with a second connector C2 mated with the first connector C1 from above. In other words, the electronic device structure includes vertical insertion type connectors C1 and C2.

[0011] The electronic device structure of this embodiment is, for example, an inverter device mounted on an automobile, and in an automobile assembly line, a second connector C2 connected to a harness H is fitted from above into a first connector C1 of an equipment body 2 mounted on the automobile. This fitting can be performed manually, and it is also possible to judge the fitted state by the feel in the hand or the sound at the time of fitting. However, since the above electronic device structure has a housing 1 that is open on the upper side, it is difficult to check the fitted state of the connectors C1, C2 from the side by visual inspection or with a camera.

[0012] The shape of the housing 1 is not limited, but in the illustrated example, it is a cube with an open top and has a bottom wall 1A and four vertical walls 1B. The device main body 2 has built-in electronic components (not shown), and is housed in the housing 1 with a spacer 3 interposed at the bottom.

[0013] The above electronic device structure is provided with a positioning portion 4 which is arranged in an area surrounding the first connector C1 when viewed in a plan view and which determines a plane, or more precisely a horizontal plane, for detecting the mated state of the second connector C2 relative to the first connector C1.

[0014] The positioning unit 4 preferably determines a plane at the height of the top surface of the second connector C2 mated with the first connector C1. The positioning unit 4 in this embodiment has a slight clearance Cs with respect to the height of the top surface of the second connector C2, and determines a horizontal plane at a position higher by the clearance Cs. The positioning units 4 in the illustrated example are block-shaped members arranged at four positions on the top surface of the device body 2, with the first connector C1 at the center, and each of the positioning units 4 determines a plane with its top surface.

[0015] In an electronic device structure having the above configuration, for example in an automobile assembly line, after the first connector C1 is mated with the second connector C2, a jig 10 having a flat surface S on its underside is used and the flat surface S of the jig 10 is abutted against the positioning portion 4.

[0016] The plane S of the jig 10 has an area equivalent to at least an area including the first connector C1 and each positioning portion 4. The jig 10 is preferably a plate member having a predetermined rigidity and not easily elastically deformed. The material of the jig 10 is not limited, but it may be, for example, a hard plastic including metal or composite material, and a handle or the like may be provided on the upper surface.

[0017] In the above electronic device structure, when the jig 10 is brought into contact with the positioning portions 4, the second connector C2 is in a properly mated state if the flat surface S of the jig 10 comes into contact with all of the positioning portions 4 as shown in Fig. 1. In contrast, in the electronic device structure, when the flat surface S of the jig 10 comes into contact with some of the positioning portions 4 and the jig 10 is tilted as shown in Fig. 3, the second connector C2 is in an insufficiently inserted semi-mated state.

[0018] The first and second connectors C1 and C2 have multiple terminals and housings that engage with each other, similar to known connectors. Therefore, the second connector C2 is not fitted at an angle to the first connector C1, and in the half-fitted state, the second connector C2 is located above the correct fitting position.

[0019] In this way, in the above electronic device structure, particularly in an electronic device structure having vertical insertion type connectors C1, C2, the mated and semi-mated states of the second connector C2 relative to the first connector C1 can be checked using a simple jig 10 having a flat surface S.

[0020] As a result, the above electronic device structure can prevent a situation in which the second connector C2 is transported to the next process in a partially engaged state, for example, when connecting an electronic device mounted on a vehicle to a harness on an automobile assembly line, and can also correct the second connector C2 to a correctly engaged state by pressing it with the jig 10.

[0021] 4 to 6 are diagrams illustrating second to fourth embodiments of the electronic device structure according to the present invention. In the following embodiments, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] <Second embodiment> 4, block-shaped positioning units 4 are arranged at three locations on the top surface of the device body 2, centered on the first connector C1. The positioning units 4 determine a plane for detecting the mating state of the second connector C2 relative to the first connector C1, so by arranging the positioning units 4 at at least three locations, the plane can be determined. Therefore, the positioning units 4 may be block-shaped or may have a curved or spherical upper end, and the shape is not limited.

[0023] In the above electronic device structure, similarly to the first embodiment, the simple jig 10 having the flat surface S can be used to check the mated and semi-mated states of the second connector C2 with respect to the first connector C1.

[0024] <Third embodiment> 5, a positioning portion 4 that determines one plane for detecting the mated state of the second connector C2 relative to the first connector C1 is the upper surface of the vertical wall portion 1B that forms the housing 1. In this electronic device structure, similar to each of the above embodiments, the mated state and semi-mated state of the second connector C2 relative to the first connector C1 can be confirmed using a simple jig 10 having a plane S.

[0025] 5 shows a plate-shaped jig 10 that covers the entire upper side of the housing 1, but if the heights of the vertical walls 1B on the four sides of the housing 1 are uniform, the engaged or semi-engaged state of the second connector C2 can be checked using a jig 10 large enough to abut against the vertical walls 1B on at least two sides. It is also possible to correct the second connector C2 to a properly engaged state by pressing it with the jig 10.

[0026] <Fourth embodiment> The electronic device structure shown in FIG. 6 is a stacked type electronic device structure in which another structure 11 is stacked on the upper side of the housing 1, and the other structure 11 has a plane S at its bottom which corresponds to a plane determined by the positioning portion 4.

[0027] The illustrated electronic device structure also includes block-shaped positioning portions 4 on the upper surface of the vertical wall portion 1B of the housing 1. The positioning portions 4 are arranged at at least three locations around the first connector C1 on the upper surface of the vertical wall portion 1B, which has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view.

[0028] In the above electronic device structure, the other structure 11 is configured to double as the jig (10) of the previous embodiment, and when the other structure 11 is stacked on the housing 1, it is possible to confirm whether the second connector C2 is correctly fitted by checking whether the plane S of the other structure 11 abuts all of the positioning portions 4.

[0029] Moreover, in the above electronic device structure, when the second connector C2 is in a semi-fitted state, it is also possible to correct the second connector C2 to a properly fitted state by pressing it with the other structure 11. Moreover, in the above electronic device structure, whether or not to provide a clearance Cs between the other structure 11 and the second connector C2 can be determined based on the possibility of interference between them due to vibration, the magnitude of variation in components, etc.

[0030] The configuration of the electronic device structure according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention, and it is of course also possible to combine the configurations of the various embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Case 1B Vertical wall section 2. Device body 4 Positioning part 11 Other Structures C1 First connector C2 2nd Connector S plane

Claims

1. An electronic device structure comprising a housing having an open upper side, a device main body accommodated in the housing, and a first connector disposed on an upper surface of the device main body, the first connector being fitted with a second connector from above, An electronic device structure comprising a positioning portion disposed in a range surrounding the first connector in a plan view and determining a plane for detecting the mating state of the second connector relative to the first connector.

2. 2. The structure of an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion determines one plane at the height of an upper surface of the second connector mated with the first connector.

3. 3. The electronic device structure according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portions are arranged at at least three positions on the top surface of the device body.

4. 3. The electronic device structure according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portions are arranged at at least three positions on an upper surface of a vertical wall portion that forms the housing.

5. 3. The electronic device structure according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion is an upper surface of a vertical wall portion that forms the housing.

6. The electronic device structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electronic device structure is a stacked type in which another structure is stacked on the upper side of the housing, and the other structure has a plane at its bottom that corresponds to the plane determined by the positioning portion.

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