Component mounting structure and electrical junction box

Abstract

To provide a component mounting structure which can easily secure an arrangement space of connection ends of a board terminal in a circuit board and an electric connection box equipped with the component mounting structure.SOLUTION: A component mounting structure 120 includes: a circuit board 121; a plurality of fuses 122 (electric electronic components) which are detachably mounted on the circuit board 121 in a horizontal position and are stacked and arranged in a plurality of stages in a staggered arrangement; and a plurality of metallic board terminals 123 which are provided in a pair for each fuse 122 (electric electronic component) and are connected to the circuit board 121 so that connection ends 123a with the circuit board 121 are lined up in one row for two stages of stacked arrangement for the plurality of stages of the plurality of fuses 122 (electric electronic components).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a component mounting structure and an electrical junction box in which a plurality of electric and electronic components are mounted on a circuit board. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrical junction boxes have been known for applications such as supplying battery power to a load in automobiles and the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The electrical junction box of Patent Document 1 has a component mounting structure in which a plurality of fuses are mounted as electric and electronic components on a circuit board, and the component mounting structure is housed in a housing. The fuses are detachably held by a plurality of board terminals, one end of which is connected to the circuit board, and the component terminal of each fuse is electrically connected to the circuit board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-92577 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, the number of devices to which power is supplied has tended to increase, and this has led to an increase in the number of fuses mounted, i.e., the number of board terminals. As the number of board terminals increases, the area occupied by their connection ends on the circuit board increases. However, on the other hand, the installation space for the electrical junction box is limited, and it is often not possible to increase the size of the electrical junction box, i.e., the size of the circuit board. As a result, even if an attempt is made to mount more fuses, it can be difficult to secure space on the circuit board to accommodate the connection ends of the board terminals.

[0005] Up to this point, we have used fuses as an example to explain the problem of difficulty in securing space for arranging the connection ends of board terminals on a circuit board. However, this type of problem is not limited to fuses; it can generally occur with any electrical or electronic component that is mounted on a board.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a component mounting structure that can easily secure space for arranging the connection ends of board terminals on a circuit board, and an electrical connection box equipped with such a component mounting structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a component mounting structure is characterized by comprising: a circuit board; a plurality of electric and electronic components, each having a pair of component terminals, which are detachably mounted on the circuit board in a mounting direction along the circuit board in a horizontal orientation in which the pairs of component terminals are aligned along the circuit board, and which are stacked and arranged in multiple stages so as to be in a staggered configuration in a plan view seen from the mounting direction; and a plurality of board terminals, one pair for each of the plurality of electric and electronic components, which detachably hold each electric and electronic component in each pair and electrically connect each component terminal to the circuit board, and which are connected to the circuit board so that connection ends with the circuit board are aligned in a row for two stages of the stacked arrangement spanning the multiple stages of the plurality of electric and electronic components. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the component mounting structure and the electrical junction box described above, it is possible to easily ensure space for arranging the connection ends of the board terminals on the circuit board. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing an electrical junction box according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a component mounting structure accommodated in the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3]3A to 3C are three-view diagrams showing the component mounting structure shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the four types of board terminals shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. [Figure 5] 1 to 4. FIG. 5 is a three-view diagram similar to FIG. 3 showing a component mounting structure of a comparative example for comparison with the embodiment shown in FIGS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of a component mounting structure and an electrical junction box will be described below.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an electrical junction box according to one embodiment.

[0012] The electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment is installed in an automobile and is used for applications such as supplying battery power to a load, with one of the targets of power supply being a body ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 2. The electrical junction box 1 has an exterior shape like a flat rectangular block, with the body ECU 2 integrally attached to one of the rectangular, wide-area mounting surfaces 1a on the front and back sides. The body ECU 2 is a device that controls the operation of various parts of the automobile and has an exterior shape like a flat rectangular block that is slightly smaller than the electrical junction box 1. The mounting surface 1a of the electrical junction box 1 is provided with a rectangular recess 1b that houses the body ECU 2, and the body ECU 2 is connected to the electrical junction box 1 via a connector while housed in this rectangular recess 1b.

[0013] Furthermore, a pair of opposing side portions 1c out of the four side portions excluding the wide front and back surfaces of the electrical junction box 1 are provided with connector connection portions 1d for connecting a connector of an external wire harness. Furthermore, a plurality of fuses 122 (electrical and electronic components) of a component mounting structure 120 housed inside the electrical junction box 1 are detachably exposed on one of the other pair of opposing side portions 1e. This electrical junction box 1 is configured such that the component mounting structure 120 having a plurality of fuses 122 is housed in a flat rectangular box-shaped insulating resin housing 110 having the rectangular recess 1b, the connector connection portion 1d, and the fuse 122 exposure port 1f provided on the outer wall.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the component mounting structure housed in the electrical junction box shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a three-view diagram showing the component mounting structure shown in Fig. 2. In Figs. 2 and 3, the component mounting structure 120 of Fig. 1 is shown with a reduced number of fuses 122 to make the drawings easier to see.

[0015] The component mounting structure 120 includes a circuit board 121 , a plurality of fuses 122 , and a plurality of board terminals 123 .

[0016] The circuit board 121 is a rectangular printed wiring board housed in the above-mentioned flat rectangular box-shaped housing 110, and is formed with a power distribution circuit via a fuse 122 and a connection circuit between the body ECU 2 and an external wire harness.

[0017] Each of the plurality of fuses 122 has a generally flat rectangular block appearance, contains a fusible element therein, and has a pair of component terminals 122a connected to a pair of ends of the fusible element and provided on a pair of opposing side portions so as to be exposed to the outside. In this embodiment, each fuse 122 is detachably mounted on the circuit board 121 in a horizontal orientation with the pair of component terminals 122a aligned along the surface of the circuit board 121 in a mounting direction D11 along the circuit board 121. A plurality of such fuses 122 are stacked in multiple stages (four stages in this embodiment) in the out-of-plane direction D12 relative to the circuit board 121 so as to be staggered in a plan view seen from the mounting direction D11.

[0018] The multiple board terminals 123 are provided in pairs for each of the multiple electric and electronic components 122, and are metal terminals that detachably hold each pair of electric and electronic components 122 and electrically connect each component terminal 122a to the circuit board 121. In this embodiment, the connection ends 123a of the multiple board terminals 123 that connect to the circuit board are connected to the circuit board 121 so as to be aligned in a row for every two stages of the four-stage stacked arrangement of the multiple electric and electronic components 122. In this embodiment, four types of multiple board terminals 123 are used, corresponding to the stages of the stacked arrangement of the electric and electronic components 122.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the four types of board terminals shown in FIGS.

[0020] In this embodiment, four types of board terminals 123 are used: a first-stage terminal 123-1, a second-stage terminal 123-2, a third-stage terminal 123-3, and a fourth-stage terminal 123-4. The first-stage terminal 123-1 is a board terminal 123 for the first-stage fuse 122 counting from the circuit board 121 side, and the second-stage terminal 123-2 is a board terminal 123 for the first-stage fuse 122. The third-stage terminal 123-3 is a board terminal 123 for the third-stage fuse 122, and the fourth-stage terminal 123-4 is a board terminal 123 for the fourth-stage fuse 122. These four types of board terminals 123 have the same basic terminal structure except for the size of each part, so in the following description, unless otherwise specified, they will be simply referred to as board terminals 123, ignoring the type.

[0021] The board terminal 123 is formed by stamping from a metal plate material so as to have an L-shaped band plate shape in which the ends of a first band-shaped portion 123b and a second band-shaped portion 123c are connected to each other. When connected to the circuit board 121, the first band-shaped portion 123b extends in a band shape along the circuit board within the plane of an intersecting surface 121a with respect to the circuit board 121. The second band-shaped portion 123c extends in a band shape intersecting the circuit board 121 within the plane of the intersecting surface 121a. The second band-shaped portion 123c becomes longer with each increasing stage, from the one-stage terminal 123-1 to the four-stage terminal 123-4. On the other hand, the first strip-shaped portions 123b have the same length in the one-stage terminal 123-1 and the two-stage terminal 123-2, and the same length in the three-stage terminal 123-3 and the four-stage terminal 123-4. Also, the first strip-shaped portions 123b of the one-stage terminal 123-1 and the two-stage terminal 123-2 are longer than the first strip-shaped portions 123b of the three-stage terminal 123-3 and the four-stage terminal 123-4.

[0022] Furthermore, board terminal 123 has component holding portion 123d for holding one component terminal 122a at the end of first strip-shaped portion 123b opposite second strip-shaped portion 123c. This component holding portion 123d has a scissors shape with a pair of holding arms 123d-1 extending along circuit board 121, and serves as a portion for sandwiching and holding component terminal 122a between pair of holding arms 123d-1. The end of second strip-shaped portion 123c opposite first strip-shaped portion 123b serves as connection end 123a for connection to circuit board 121.

[0023] The plurality of fuses 122 are held in a staggered arrangement in four rows by four types of board terminals 123 of different sizes, each having the L-shaped strip shape described above, and connected to the circuit board 121. At this time, the connection ends 123a of the one-tier terminals 123-1 and the two-tier terminals 123-2, whose first strip-shaped portions 123b have the same length, are aligned in a row on the circuit board 121, as shown in FIG. 3 . Similarly, the connection ends 123a of the three-tier terminals 123-3 and the four-tier terminals 123-4 are aligned in a row. If the row of connection ends 123a of the one-tier terminals 123-1 and the two-tier terminals 123-2 is referred to as a one-tier / two-tier array 124, the connection ends 123a of the board terminals 123 holding the fuses 122 in the first and second rows constitute this one-tier / two-tier array 124. The first and second tier fuses 122 are the fuses 122 in the lower two tiers 126 when viewed from the circuit board 121. If the row of connection ends 123a of the three-tier terminals 123-3 and the four-tier terminals 123-4 is called a three-tier / four-tier array 125, the connection ends 123a of the board terminals 123 that hold the third and fourth tier fuses 122 constitute this three-tier / four-tier array 125. The third and fourth tier fuses 122 are the fuses 122 in the upper two tiers 127 when viewed from the circuit board 121.

[0024] Here, in the lower two tiers 126, the first-tier terminal that holds the first-tier fuse 122 belonging to the first tier counting from the circuit board 121 side is the first-tier terminal 123-1. Also, the second-tier terminal that holds the second-tier fuse 122 belonging to the second tier in this lower two tiers 126 is the second-tier terminal 123-2. At least some of the connection ends 122a of the multiple two-tier terminals 123-2 (next-tier terminals) are arranged between the mutually arranged connection ends 122a of the multiple first-tier terminals 123-1 (first-tier terminals), thereby forming the above-mentioned first-tier / two-tier array 124. Of the connection ends 122a of the two-tier terminals 123-2, one connection end 122a located at the end of the array is located outside the mutually arranged connection ends 122a of the first-tier terminals 123-1.

[0025] Similarly, in the top two tiers 127, the first-tier terminal that holds the third-tier fuse 122 belonging to the first tier counting from the circuit board 121 side is the three-tier terminal 123-3. Also, the next-tier terminal that holds the fourth-tier fuse 122 belonging to the next tier in these top two tiers 127 is the four-tier terminal 123-4. At least some of the connection ends 122a of the multiple four-tier terminals 123-4 (next-tier terminals) are arranged between the mutually arranged connection ends 122a of the multiple three-tier terminals 123-3 (first-tier terminals), thereby forming the above-mentioned three-tier / four-tier array 125. Also, of the connection ends 122a of the four-tier terminal 123-4, one connection end 122a located at the end of the array is located outside the mutually arranged connection ends 122a of the three-tier terminals 123-3.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a three-view diagram similar to Fig. 3 showing a component mounting structure of a comparative example for comparison with the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4. This comparative example is the same as the embodiment described above except for board terminal 523, and in Fig. 5, of the components equivalent to the components shown in Fig. 3, those necessary for explanation are assigned the same reference numerals as in Fig. 3.

[0027] In the component mounting structure 520 of this comparative example, the fuses 122 are detachably mounted on the circuit board 121 in a mounting direction D11 in a vertical orientation in which a pair of component terminals 122a are aligned in a direction intersecting the circuit board 121. The fuses 122 are stacked in three stages so as to form a lattice arrangement in a plan view seen from the mounting direction D11.

[0028] Furthermore, the board terminals 523 that hold the fuses 122 in this grid arrangement are formed by bending a straight strip into an L shape. Six types of board terminals 523 are used, depending on the height of each component terminal 122a from the circuit board 121 in the vertically placed fuses 122. The connection ends 523a of these six types of board terminals 523 that connect to the circuit board 121 are aligned in a row for each component terminal 122a, i.e., for each type of board terminal 523, forming an array of six rows.

[0029] Thus, in component mounting structure 520 of the comparative example, six rows of connection ends 523a occupy circuit board 121, which tends to increase the area. Furthermore, if the number of fuse 122 stages is increased from the three shown in the figure, the arrangement of connection ends 523a will increase by two rows for each additional stage in component mounting structure 520 of the comparative example. On the other hand, due to the installation space for the electrical junction box, it is often not possible to increase the size of the circuit board, and even if an attempt is made to increase the number of mounted fuses 122, it may be difficult to secure space to arrange connection ends 523a of board terminals 523.

[0030] In comparison with the comparative example described above, the component mounting structure 120 and the electrical junction box 1 according to the above-described embodiment can achieve the following effects. That is, according to this embodiment, the fuses 122 are stacked in a horizontal orientation and a staggered arrangement. In such a stacked arrangement, in the two lower tiers 126 and the two upper tiers 127 adjacent to each other, the component terminals 122 a of the fuses 122 in the first tier and the component terminals 122 a of the fuses 122 in the next tier are offset along the circuit board 121. In this embodiment, this offset is utilized so that the connection ends 123 a of the multiple board terminals 123 are connected to the circuit board 121 so as to be aligned in a line without interfering with each other across the two tiers of the stacked arrangement. Furthermore, by aligning the connection ends 123 a of the fuses 122 for the two tiers in a line, the area occupied by these connection ends 123 a on the circuit board 121 is reduced, and therefore, the arrangement space for the connection ends 123 a of the board terminals 123 on the circuit board 121 can be easily secured.

[0031] In this embodiment, at least a portion of the connection ends 123a of the second-stage terminals 123-2 and the fourth-stage terminals 123-4, which are the next-stage terminals, are arranged between the arrangements of the connection ends 123a of the first-stage terminals 123-1 and the third-stage terminals 123-3, which are the first-stage terminals in the two stages. With this configuration, at least a portion of the connection ends 123a of the next-stage terminals are arranged between the arrangements of the connection ends 123a of the first-stage terminals, thereby shortening the length of the row of connection ends 123a for the two stages. As a result, the area occupied by the connection ends 123a on the circuit board 121 is further reduced, making it easier to ensure space for the connection ends 123a of the board terminals 123 on the circuit board 121.

[0032] In this embodiment, each of the multiple board terminals 123 has an L-shaped strip shape in which a first strip portion 123b and a second strip portion 123c, each extending within the plane of the intersecting plane 121a with respect to the circuit board 121, are connected at their ends. A component holder 123d for holding a component terminal 122a is provided at the end of the first strip portion 123b, and an end of the second strip portion 123c serves as a connection end 123a. With this configuration, each board terminal 123 has an L-shaped strip shape extending within the plane of the intersecting plane 121a with respect to the circuit board 121. Therefore, the dimension of each board terminal 123 in the direction of arrangement of the connection ends 123a is reduced to a thickness, which is significantly reduced. By reducing the dimension of each board terminal 123 in the direction of arrangement, two rows of connection ends 123a can be easily aligned in a row without the board terminals 123 interfering with each other.

[0033] In this embodiment, the component holding portion 123d has a scissor shape, and a pair of holding arms 123d-1 of the scissor shape sandwich and hold one component terminal 122a. With this configuration, the component holding portions 123d of the pair of board terminals 123 can removably and securely hold the pair of component terminals 122a of one fuse 122.

[0034] In this embodiment, the electric / electronic component detachably mounted on circuit board 121 is fuse 122. Generally, fuse 122 is often used as an electric / electronic component having a pair of component terminals and detachably mounted on a circuit board. According to the above configuration, component mounting structure 120 is employed as the mounting structure for fuse 122, and therefore, it is possible to effectively obtain the effect of easily ensuring space for arranging connection end 123a of board terminal 123 on circuit board 121.

[0035] The above-described embodiments merely show typical forms of the component mounting structure and the electrical junction box, but the component mounting structure and the electrical junction box are not limited to these and can be implemented in various modifications.

[0036] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the electric junction box 1 is exemplified as an example of an electric junction box that is mounted on an automobile or the like. However, the electric junction box is not limited to this, and the specific mounting location, etc., of the electric junction box is not limited to this.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the electric junction box 1 has an external shape of a flat rectangular block, and the body ECU 2 is integrally attached to the outer surface thereof. However, the electric junction box is not limited to this, and the external shape may be a shape other than a flat rectangular block, or the body ECU 2 may not be attached, for example.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, component mounting structure 120 in which fuses 122 are stacked in four stages in a staggered arrangement is given as an example of a component mounting structure. However, the component mounting structure is not limited to this, and the stacking arrangement of electric and electronic components does not matter in the specific number of stages as long as it is a staggered arrangement.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of a component mounting structure, component mounting structure 120 is exemplified in which at least a portion of connection ends 123a of the next-stage terminals is arranged between adjacent connection ends 123a of the initial-stage terminals. However, the component mounting structure is not limited to this, and may be a structure in which the connection ends of the initial-stage terminals and the connection ends of the next-stage terminals are arranged separately while being aligned in a row. However, as described above, by arranging at least a portion of connection ends 123a of the next-stage terminals between adjacent connection ends 123a of the initial-stage terminals, it is possible to more easily ensure the arrangement space for connection ends 123a.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, board terminals 123 having an L-shaped strip shape extending within the plane of intersecting plane 121a with respect to circuit board 121 are exemplified as an example of board terminals. However, board terminals h are not limited to this, and may be, for example, a straight strip bent into an L shape, such as board terminal 523 of a comparative example shown in Fig. 5. However, as described above, board terminals 123 having an L-shaped strip shape extending within the plane of intersecting plane 121a with respect to circuit board 121 reduce the terminal dimension in the arrangement direction of connecting ends 123a, making it easy to align connecting ends 123a in a row.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, a scissor-shaped component holder 123d that sandwiches and holds one component terminal 122a between a pair of holding arms 123d-1 is illustrated as an example of a component holder in a board terminal. However, the component holder is not limited to this, and any specific shape is acceptable as long as it holds a component terminal of an electric or electronic component. However, as described above, the scissor-shaped component holder 123d can removably hold the component terminal 122a.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the fuse 122 is used as an example of an electric / electronic component to be mounted on a circuit board. However, the electric / electronic component to be mounted is not limited to this, and may be a resistor, a capacitor, or the like, as long as it has a pair of component terminals, and the specific component type is not important. However, as described above, by employing the fuse 122, which is often used as an electric / electronic component having a pair of component terminals and is detachably mounted on a circuit board, as the component to be mounted, the above-described effects can be effectively achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Electrical junction box 1a Mounting surface 1b Rectangular recess 1c, 1e Side 1d Connector connection part 1f exposed mouth 2 Body ECU 110 Housing 120 Component mounting structure 121 Circuit Board 122 Fuse 122a Component terminal 123 PCB terminal 123-1 Single stage terminal 123-2 Two-stage terminal 123-3 Three-stage terminal 123-4 4-stage terminal 123a connection end 123b First band 123c Second band 123d Parts holder 123d-1 Holding arm 124 Single / double row arrangement 125 3-tier / 4-tier layout 126 Lower two rows 127 Upper two rows D11 Mounting direction D12 Out-of-plane direction

Claims

1. A circuit board; a plurality of electric and electronic components, each having a pair of component terminals, detachably mounted on the circuit board in a mounting direction along the circuit board in a horizontal orientation with the pair of component terminals aligned along the circuit board, and stacked in multiple stages so as to be staggered in a plan view seen from the mounting direction; a plurality of board terminals, each pair of which is provided for each of the plurality of electric and electronic components, which detachably hold each pair of electric and electronic components and electrically connect each component terminal to the circuit board, the board terminals being connected to the circuit board so that connection ends with the circuit board are aligned in a line for two stages of the stacked arrangement of the plurality of electric and electronic components; A component mounting structure comprising:

2. 2. The component mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the connection ends of a plurality of next-stage terminals that hold electrical and electronic components belonging to a next stage are arranged between the arrangement of the connection ends of a plurality of first-stage terminals that hold electrical and electronic components belonging to a first stage in the two stages, counting from the circuit board side.

3. each of the plurality of board terminals has an L-shaped strip shape in a plan view with respect to the intersecting plane, in which a first strip-shaped portion extends in a strip shape along the circuit board within a plane of an intersecting plane with respect to the circuit board, and a second strip-shaped portion extends in a strip shape intersecting the circuit board within the plane, and the ends of the first strip-shaped portion are connected to each other; a component holding portion for holding one of the pair of component terminals is provided at an end of the first band-shaped portion opposite to the second band-shaped portion, 2. The component mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein an end of the second strip-shaped portion opposite to the first strip-shaped portion serves as the connection end to the circuit board.

4. 4. The component mounting structure according to claim 3, wherein the component holding portion has a scissors shape with a pair of holding arms extending along the circuit board, and the pair of holding arms clamp and hold the one component terminal.

5. 2. The component mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric and electronic components are a plurality of fuses.

6. A component mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a housing that accommodates the component mounting structure so that the plurality of electric and electronic components are exposed and detachable; An electrical junction box comprising:

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