Press-fit terminals and methods for manufacturing press-fit terminals
The tab-shaped press-fit terminal with intersecting press-fit portions addresses the issue of conductive part damage in conventional terminals, enabling reliable electrical connections with reduced terminal pitch and circuit space, and efficient manufacturing.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- AUTONETWORKS TECH LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Conventional press-fit terminals that connect two substrates through overlapping through-holes risk damaging the conductive parts, leading to unstable conductivity and increased circuit wiring space and terminal pitch requirements.
A tab-shaped press-fit terminal with intersecting first and second press-fit portions that are elastically deformable, allowing simultaneous insertion into through-holes of substrates, ensuring reliable electrical connection without enlarging the through-holes, thus maintaining connection reliability and reducing terminal pitch.
The solution provides wider circuit wiring space and narrower terminal pitch while maintaining connection reliability by ensuring each press-fit portion connects to undamaged conductive parts, and reduces manufacturing cycle time and costs through simultaneous formation in a single press operation.
Smart Images
Figure 2026109929000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to press-fit terminals and a method for manufacturing press-fit terminals.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, a press-fit terminal that is press-fitted into a through-hole formed in a substrate and electrically connected to a conductive portion formed on the inner wall of the through-hole is known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-26052 discloses a press-fit terminal for connecting between terminal holes of two printed boards arranged to face each other in the vertical direction. This press-fit terminal includes two press-fit portions formed side by side in the vertical direction, and by one operation of inserting the press-fit terminal from a terminal hole on one side arranged to overlap with each other toward a terminal hole on the other side, each press-fit portion can be press-fitted into the terminal hole of each printed board.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] As described above, in a configuration in which a single press-fit terminal with two press-fit sections is pressed into two through-holes arranged in an overlapping state in a single operation, the press-fit section is pressed into one of the two through-holes, the first by the tip end and the second by the base end, twice. At this time, if the conductive part of the through-hole on one side is damaged by the first press-fit, the conductivity between the second press-fit section and the conductive part may become unstable, potentially impairing connection reliability. For this reason, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a method to suppress damage to the conductive part of the through-hole on one side by setting the diameter of the through-hole on the side into which the press-fit section is inserted first to be larger than the diameter of the through-hole on the other side, and by setting the press-fit terminal so that the width dimension of the tip end press-fit section is smaller than the width dimension of the base end press-fit section. However, such a configuration leads to a reduction in circuit wiring space on the substrate and an increase in terminal pitch. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] This disclosure relates to a tab-shaped press-fit terminal for electrically connecting a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate, comprising: an elastically deformable first press-fit portion that is press-fitted in a first direction into a first through-hole formed in the first substrate; and an elastically deformable second press-fit portion provided alongside the first press-fit portion and press-fitted in a first direction into a second through-hole formed in the second substrate, wherein the first press-fit portion is shaped to extend along the plate surface of the press-fit terminal and in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the second press-fit portion is shaped to extend in a third direction that intersects the plate surface and in a third direction intersecting the first direction, so that when viewed from the first direction, the extension direction of the first press-fit portion and the extension direction of the second press-fit portion intersect. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] The press-fit terminals of this disclosure allow for a wider circuit wiring space on the substrate and enable a narrower terminal pitch. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a press-fit terminal according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a front view of the press-fit terminal. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view of a press-fit terminal. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the first press-fit portion inserted into the second through-hole. [Figure 5A] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of the second through-hole (section II in Figure 4) with the first press-fit portion inserted into the second through-hole. [Figure 5B] Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view of the first through-hole (section II-II in Figure 4). [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the first and second substrates electrically connected by press-fit terminals. [Figure 7A] Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view of the second through-hole (section III-III in Figure 6) with the second press-fit portion inserted into the second through-hole. [Figure 7B] Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view of the first through-hole (section IV-IV in Figure 6) with the first press-fit portion inserted into the first through-hole. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for forming the needle-eye type first press-fit portion. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for forming the action pin type second press-fit portion. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described.
[0009] (1) The present disclosure relates to a tab-shaped press-fit terminal for electrically connecting a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate, comprising: an elastically deformable first press-fit portion that is press-fitted in a first direction into a first through-hole formed in the first substrate; and an elastically deformable second press-fit portion provided alongside the first press-fit portion and press-fitted in a first direction into a second through-hole formed in the second substrate, wherein the first press-fit portion is shaped to extend along the plate surface of the press-fit terminal and in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the second press-fit portion is shaped to extend in a third direction that intersects the plate surface and in a third direction intersecting the first direction, so that when viewed from the first direction, the extension direction of the first press-fit portion and the extension direction of the second press-fit portion intersect.
[0010] According to the above configuration, when inserting the press-fit terminal in the first direction from a through-hole of one substrate to a through-hole of the other substrate, the protrusion directions of one press-fit portion inserted before the through-hole of one substrate and the other press-fit portion inserted after the first press-fit portion has passed intersect when viewed from the first direction. Therefore, even if the conductive part of the through-hole of one substrate is damaged by the press-fit portion inserted first, the other press-fit portion inserted subsequently will be electrically connected to the undamaged portion. In other words, the loss of connection reliability is suppressed. Furthermore, because the connection reliability between one substrate and the other press-fit portion can be maintained in this way, it is not necessary to make the through-hole of one substrate relatively large as in the conventional method, and it becomes possible to make the hole diameters of the two through-holes the same. When the hole diameters of the two through-holes are the same in this way, it is possible to secure circuit wiring space on the substrate and narrow the terminal pitch.
[0011] (2) In (1) above, the second direction and the third direction may intersect perpendicularly.
[0012] According to the above configuration, while the overhanging directions of the two press-fit portions intersect, the two press-fit portions can be simultaneously formed by a single pressing process. That is, the cycle time required for manufacturing the press-fit terminals can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
[0013] (3) Further, in the present disclosure, an elastically deformable first press-fit portion and a second press-fit portion are provided side by side in a first direction. When the overhanging direction of the first press-fit portion viewed from the first direction is defined as a second direction, and the overhanging direction of the second press-fit portion is defined as a third direction, a method for manufacturing a press-fit terminal in which the second direction and the third direction intersect, the method including: a first press-fit portion forming step of punching out a central portion in the second direction of a wide portion of a longitudinal elongated member having a wide portion in which a predetermined portion is widened in the second direction to form the first press-fit portion; and a second press-fit portion forming step of forming a slit extending in the first direction at the central portion of the elongated member in the second direction, and pressing both sides of the slit in the second direction so as to project along the third direction and in opposite directions to each other to form the second press-fit portion, the first press-fit portion forming step and the second press-fit portion forming step being simultaneously executed by a single pressing process.
[0014] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] A specific example of the press-fit terminal of the present disclosure will be described while referring to FIGS. 1 to 9. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is intended to be defined by the claims and to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.
[0015] The press-fit terminal 10 of this embodiment is for electrically connecting a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30 that are arranged parallel to each other and facing each other. It is formed in an elongated tab shape by press-forming a metal plate material with excellent conductivity, such as a copper alloy. In the following description, the X direction in Figure 1 (an example of the first direction) will be considered the front or tip side, and the direction opposite to the X direction will be considered the rear or base side. Also, the Y direction in Figure 1 (an example of the second direction) will be considered the right side, and the direction opposite to the Y direction will be considered the left side. Furthermore, the Z direction in Figure 1 (an example of the third direction) will be considered the front side, and the direction opposite to the Z direction will be considered the back side. The vertical direction will be based on Figure 1. The first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 described above are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, with the second substrate 30 positioned above the first substrate 20 (see Figure 4).
[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the press-fit terminal 10 has a shape in which a first press-fit portion 11 connected to the first substrate 20 and a second press-fit portion 15 connected to the second substrate 30 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction, coaxially) of the press-fit terminal 10. Specifically, the press-fit terminal 10 includes a first press-fit portion 11 located at the tip end (lower part in Figure 1) in the insertion direction and press-fitted into the first through-hole 21 of the first substrate 20, and a second press-fit portion 15 located at the base end (upper part in Figure 1) of the first press-fit portion 11 and press-fitted into the second through-hole 31 of the second substrate 30. The tip end (lower part in Figure 1) of the first press-fit portion 11 is provided with a tapered tip portion 19 to guide the press-fit terminal 10 into the through-hole.
[0017] The first press-fit portion 11 is of a so-called needle-eye type. Specifically, the first press-fit portion 11 includes two first elastic pieces 12 that protrude in a direction (Y direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction along the plate surface (X-Y plane) of the tab-shaped press-fit terminal 10 and extend in the front-rear direction (X direction), and an eye hole 13 that extends longitudinally in the front-rear direction and opens in the front-back direction (Z direction) between the two first elastic pieces 12. The first press-fit portion 11 (the first elastic piece 12) is elastically deformable in the Y direction and is press-fitted into the first through hole 21 so as to be electrically connected to the conductive portion formed in the first through hole 21.
[0018] On the other hand, the second press-fit portion 15 is of a so-called action-pin type. Specifically, the second press-fit portion 15 is divided into left and right parts by a slit 16 that extends in the front-rear direction (X direction) at the center in the plate width direction (Y direction) of the tab-shaped press-fit terminal 10, and the right part of the slit 16 protrudes to the front side while the left part protrudes to the back side. That is, the second press-fit portion 15 is configured to include two second elastic pieces 17 that intersect the plate surface (X-Y plane) of the press-fit terminal 10 and protrude in a direction (Z direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction. The second press-fit portion 15 (the second elastic piece 17) is elastically deformable in the Z direction and is press-fitted into the second through hole 31 so as to be electrically connected to the conductive portion formed in the second through hole 31.
[0019] Thus, the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 are configured such that their two elastic pieces 12 and 17 protrude in directions perpendicular to each other. Specifically, the first press-fit portion 11 (first elastic piece 12) protrudes in the Y direction, and the second press-fit portion 15 (second elastic piece 17) protrudes in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the width dimensions (protrusion dimensions, the distance between the most protruding parts) of the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 in their respective protrusion directions are approximately the same. Furthermore, the dimension between the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 is the same as the dimension between the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30. Note that the protrusion directions of the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 may intersect at angles other than perpendicular. Furthermore, the width dimensions of the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 in their respective extension directions may be different.
[0020] The press-fit terminal 10 of this embodiment described above can form the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 simultaneously in a single press-forming operation. Specifically, the needle-eye type first press-fit portion 11 can be formed by punching out the center of the wide portion in the width direction of a long, narrow tab-shaped plate, which has a wide portion with a relatively large plate width dimension in a predetermined area, in the Z direction, thereby forming an elongated eye-hole 13 extending in the longitudinal direction (see Figure 9).
[0021] On the other hand, the action pin type second press-fit portion 15 can be formed by forming a slit 16 extending in the longitudinal direction in the center of the width direction of an elongated tab-shaped plate, and by press-working both sides of the slit 16 in the width direction in the Z direction so that they protrude in opposite directions (front and back) (see Figure 8).
[0022] In other words, since both the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 are formed by press-forming from a direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the plate surface (XY plane) of the elongated tab-shaped plate, the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15, which have different protrusion directions (intersecting perpendicularly), can be formed simultaneously in a single press-forming operation.
[0023] As described above, such press-fit terminals 10 are press-fitted from one direction into the through-holes of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30, which are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction.
[0024] In this embodiment, the first through-hole 21 and the second through-hole 31 have an inner diameter slightly smaller than the protrusion dimensions of the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15, and are round holes of the same dimensions (see Figures 5A and 5B). Furthermore, when the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are positioned in their proper locations, the centers of the first through-hole 21 and the second through-hole 31 are aligned coaxially.
[0025] When electrically connecting the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 using the press-fit terminal 10 of this embodiment described above, first, the tip 19 of the press-fit terminal 10 is brought close to the second through-hole 31 from above the second substrate 30, and the first press-fit portion 11 is pressed into the second through-hole 31 in the X direction, passing through the second through-hole 31 (see Figure 4). At this time, since the first press-fit portion 11 protrudes in the Y direction, the first press-fit portion 11 passes through the second through-hole 31 while elastically contacting opposing portions of the inner surface of the second through-hole 31 in the Y direction (see Figures 5A and 5B).
[0026] The press-fit terminal 10 is then advanced, and the first press-fit portion 11 is press-fitted into the first through-hole 21 in the X direction (see Figure 6). The first press-fit portion 11 is electrically connected to the conductive part inside the first through-hole 21 by elastically contacting the inner surface of the first through-hole 21 (see Figure 7B).
[0027] Furthermore, as the first press-fit portion 11 is press-fitted into the first through-hole 21 in the X direction, the second press-fit portion 15 reaches the second through-hole 31 and is press-fitted into the second through-hole 31 in the X direction. At this time, since the second press-fit portion 15 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the protrusion direction of the first press-fit portion 11 (the Z direction), the second press-fit portion 15 comes into contact with opposing portions of the inner surface of the second through-hole 31 in the Z-axis direction, thereby electrically connecting with the conductive portion of the second through-hole 31 (see Figure 7A).
[0028] As described above, according to the press-fit terminal 10 of this embodiment, the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 protrude in directions that intersect perpendicularly with each other, and in the second through-hole 31 into which both the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 are sequentially press-fitted, the direction in which each press-fit portion 11 and 15 elastically contacts the inner surface of the second through-hole 31 is 90 degrees different for the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15.
[0029] Therefore, even if the conductive portion of the second through-hole 31 is damaged when passing through the first press-fit portion 11, the second press-fit portion 15, which is then press-fitted, will be electrically connected to the undamaged portion, thus suppressing a decrease in connection reliability.
[0030] Next, the effects will be explained. This embodiment is a tab-shaped press-fit terminal 10 for electrically connecting a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30 arranged opposite the first substrate 20, comprising an elastically deformable first press-fit portion 11 that is press-fitted in the X direction into a first through-hole 21 formed in the first substrate 20, and an elastically deformable second press-fit portion 15 provided alongside the first press-fit portion 11 and press-fitted in the X direction into a second through-hole 31 formed in the second substrate 30, wherein the first press-fit portion 11 is shaped to protrude in the Y direction along the surface of the press-fit terminal 10 and intersect with the X direction, and the second press-fit portion 15 is shaped to protrude in the Z direction intersect with the surface of the press-fit terminal 10 and intersect with the X direction, so that when viewed from the X direction, the protruding direction of the first press-fit portion 11 and the protruding direction of the second press-fit portion 15 intersect.
[0031] Furthermore, the extension direction (Y direction) of the first press-fit portion 11 and the extension direction (Z direction) of the second press-fit portion 15 intersect perpendicularly.
[0032] According to the above configuration, when inserting the press-fit terminal 10 in the X direction from the second through-hole 31 of the second substrate 30 toward the first through-hole 21 of the first substrate 20, the first press-fit portion 11, which is inserted before the second through-hole 31 of the second substrate 30, and the second press-fit portion 15, which is inserted into the second through-hole 31 of the second substrate 30 after the first press-fit portion 11 has passed, have their protrusion directions intersecting when viewed from the X direction. Therefore, even if the conductive portion of the second through-hole 31 is damaged by the first press-fit portion 11 which is inserted first, the second press-fit portion 15 which is inserted subsequently will be electrically connected to the undamaged portion. In other words, the loss of connection reliability is suppressed. Furthermore, because the connection reliability between the second substrate 30 and the second press-fit portion 15 can be maintained in this way, it is not necessary to make the second through-hole 31 of the second substrate 30 relatively large as in the conventional method, and it becomes possible to make the hole diameters of the two through-holes the same, thereby securing circuit wiring space on the substrate and narrowing the terminal pitch.
[0033] Furthermore, this embodiment is a method for manufacturing a press-fit terminal 10 in which an elastically deformable first press-fit portion 11 and a second press-fit portion 15 are provided side by side in the X direction, and the protrusion direction of the first press-fit portion 11 (Y direction) as viewed from the X direction and the protrusion direction of the second press-fit portion 15 (Z direction) intersect. The method comprises a first press-fit portion forming step in which a long, rectangular member having a wide portion in which a predetermined portion is widened in the Y direction is punched out in the center of the wide portion in the Y direction to form the first press-fit portion 11, and a second press-fit portion forming step in which a slit 16 extending in the X direction is formed in the center of the long member in the Y direction, and both sides of the slit 16 in the Y direction are pressed along the Z direction and in opposite directions to form the second press-fit portion 15, both of which are performed simultaneously in a single press-work step.
[0034] This manufacturing method allows the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 to be formed simultaneously in a single press operation. In other words, the cycle time required for manufacturing the press-fit terminal 10 can be reduced, and manufacturing costs can be suppressed.
[0035] <Other Embodiments> This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and the technical scope also includes, for example, the following embodiments.
[0036] (1) In the above embodiment, the tip end in the insertion direction is a needle eye type and the base end is an action pin type, but the tip end may be an action pin type and the base end may be a needle eye type.
[0037] (2) In the above embodiment, the first substrate and the second substrate were shown to be electrically connected by press-fit terminals, but press-fit terminals are not limited to circuit boards and can also be used for electrically connected parts of devices, substrate supports, etc.
[0038] (3) In the above embodiment, the protrusion dimensions of the first press-fit portion 11 and the second press-fit portion 15 are the same, and the hole diameters of the first through-hole 21 and the second through-hole 31 are also the same. However, the scope of the technology also includes an embodiment in which the protrusion dimension of the first press-fit portion 11 is slightly smaller than the protrusion dimension of the second press-fit portion 15, and the hole diameter of the first through-hole 21 is slightly smaller than the hole diameter of the second through-hole 31. [Explanation of symbols]
[0039] 10: Press-fit terminals 11: First press-fit section 12: First elastic piece 13: Eyehole 15: Second press-fit section 16: Slit 17: Second elastic piece 19: Tip 20: First board 21: First through hole 30: Second board 31: Second through hole
Claims
1. A tab-shaped press-fit terminal for electrically connecting a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate, The device comprises: an elastically deformable first press-fit portion that is press-fitted in a first direction into a first through-hole formed in the first substrate; and an elastically deformable second press-fit portion provided alongside the first press-fit portion and press-fitted in a first direction into a second through-hole formed in the second substrate. The first press-fit portion is shaped to follow the surface of the press-fit terminal and to protrude in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The second press-fit portion is shaped to intersect with the plate surface and protrude in a third direction that intersects with the first direction, A press-fit terminal in which, when viewed from the first direction, the protrusion direction of the first press-fit portion and the protrusion direction of the second press-fit portion intersect.
2. The press-fit terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second direction and the third direction intersect perpendicularly.
3. A method for manufacturing a press-fit terminal in which an elastically deformable first press-fit portion and a second press-fit portion are provided side by side in a first direction, and the direction of extension of the first press-fit portion as viewed from the first direction is defined as the second direction, and the direction of extension of the second press-fit portion is defined as the third direction, wherein the second direction and the third direction intersect. A first press-fit portion forming step, in which a long, rectangular member having a wide portion in which a predetermined portion is widened in the second direction is punched out in the central part of the wide portion in the second direction to form the first press-fit portion, A method for manufacturing a press-fit terminal, comprising: a second press-fit portion forming step, in which a slit extending in the first direction is formed in the central part of the long member in the second direction, and both sides of the slit in the second direction are pressed so as to protrude along the third direction and in opposite directions to form the second press-fit portion, and these steps are performed simultaneously in a single press-work step.