Connector housing

Abstract

To provide a connector housing capable of efficiently dissipating heat from a control circuit board.SOLUTION: Connector housings 1, 101, 201 have opposing surfaces 11, 111, 211 facing control circuit boards 2, 102. The opposing surface 11, 111, 211 includes a plurality of columnar parts 12, 112, 212 densely erected on the surfaces. The plurality of columnar parts 12, 112, 212 includes contact surfaces 12a, 112a, 212a at end parts in a direction away the opposing surfaces 11, 111, 211 in contact with one side of the control circuit board 2, 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector housing.

Background Art

[0002] A connector housing for electrical connection to the outside may be fixed to a control circuit board used in a device such as an actuator. Such a connector housing is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Integrated circuits mounted on a control circuit board generally generate a large amount of heat. Therefore, it is desirable to take measures so that the heat generated from the integrated circuit does not accumulate in the device housing and cause the operation of the integrated circuit to stop. Such measures include, for example, using an integrated circuit that can withstand a high-temperature environment or promoting heat dissipation more effectively. However, integrated circuits that can withstand a high-temperature environment are generally expensive and have limited options, so they cannot always be adopted. In addition, there is still room for improvement in promoting heat dissipation.

[0005] The present invention provides a connector housing that can efficiently dissipate heat from a control circuit board.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The connector housing of the present invention has a facing surface which is the surface facing the control circuit board, and a plurality of columnar portions are densely erected on the facing surface, and the plurality of columnar portions have a contact surface at the end in the direction away from the facing surface that is in contact with one surface of the control circuit board. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a connector housing that can efficiently dissipate heat from a control circuit board can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing the internal structure of an actuator equipped with a connector housing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of a connector housing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of a connector housing and control circuit board according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a transparent perspective view of the control circuit board and connector housing models used in the simulation. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of another connector housing model used in the simulation. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, a connector housing 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of an actuator 10 equipped with the connector housing 1. Note that in Figure 1, the structures of the motor 3 and gear 4, etc., which are not directly related to the present invention, are shown in a simplified manner. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the connector housing 1. Note that in Figure 2, the connector pin 19 and joint pin 17p are omitted. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector housing 1 and the control circuit board 2.

[0010] In describing embodiments of the present invention, for the sake of convenience, the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the opposing surface 11 and toward the control circuit board 2 (arrow z direction) will be referred to as upward (upper side or the other side), and the opposite direction will be referred to as downward (downward side or one side). Upward and downward will be collectively referred to as the up and down direction. However, the up and down direction does not necessarily coincide with the vertical direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the direction parallel to the extension direction of the opposing surface 11, and moving from the first engaging portion 14 toward the terminal block 17 (arrow x direction), is defined as the right direction (right side), and the opposite direction is defined as the left direction (left side). The right and left directions together are also referred to as the left-right direction. The direction parallel to the extension direction of the opposing surface 11, and moving from the first protrusion 15 toward the second protrusion 16 (arrow y direction), is defined as the back direction (back side), and the opposite direction is defined as the front direction (front side). The back and front directions together are also referred to as the depth direction.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the actuator 10 comprises a connector housing 1, a control circuit board 2, a motor 3, a plurality of gears 4, and a housing 5. A portion of the connector housing 1, the control circuit board 2, the motor 3, and the plurality of gears 4 are housed in the housing 5. The connector housing 1 is fixed to one side 22 of the control circuit board 2 and is electrically connected to the control circuit board 2 via connector pins 19, which will be described later. Voltage and control signals are supplied to the control circuit board 2 by connecting the connector pins 19 of the connector housing 1 to the connector pins of a connector (not shown). Furthermore, the coil voltage generated in the control circuit board 2 is sent to the motor 3 via the flexible printed circuit board 6 from the joint pin 17p shown in Figure 1.

[0013] The motor 3 and multiple gears 4 are located inside the housing 5, on the opposite side of the connector housing 1 from the control circuit board 2. The control circuit board 2 controls the operation of the motor 3. The rotation of the motor 3 is transmitted to each gear 4, causing the actuator 10 to perform a predetermined operation. An integrated circuit 21 is mounted on the other side 23 of the control circuit board 2.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the connector housing 1 has a rectangular or substantially rectangular cylindrical receiving portion 18 extending in the vertical direction, with one end (lower) open and the other end (upper) closed; a plate-shaped first engaging portion 14 protruding to the left from the left end of the upper end of the receiving portion 18; and a terminal block 17 protruding to the right and upward from the right end of the upper end of the receiving portion 18, with a substantially L-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the depth direction. The base point of the terminal block 17 (near the connection portion with the receiving portion 18) is a second engaging portion 17a, which engages by contacting a contact portion (not shown) of the housing 5 of the actuator 10.

[0015] The upper end face of the receiving portion 18 and the upper end face of the first engaging portion 14 are aligned and continuous, forming a single plane. Together, they constitute an opposing surface 11, which is a rectangular or substantially rectangular surface facing one side 22 of the control circuit board 2. The opposing surface 11 extends from the left end of the first engaging portion 14 to the vicinity of the connection portion between the upper end face of the receiving portion 18 and the terminal block 17.

[0016] The depth dimensions of the first engaging portion 14 and the terminal block 17 are the same as the depth dimensions of the receiving portion 18. The first engaging portion 14, like the second engaging portion 17a, is the part that engages with the housing 5 of the actuator 10. That is, the engagement of the first engaging portion 14 and the second engaging portion 17a with the housing 5 of the actuator 10 positions the connector housing 1 and the control circuit board 2 within the housing 5 (Figure 1).

[0017] Multiple rectangular or approximately rectangular columnar parts 12 are densely erected on the opposing surface 11, projecting upward perpendicularly to the opposing surface 11. In this embodiment, each of the multiple columnar parts 12 has the same shape and dimensions. However, each of the multiple columnar parts 12 does not have to be a rectangular or approximately rectangular columnar shape, nor do they have to be the same shape and dimensions.

[0018] In this specification, "standing densely" means that a plurality of columnar portions 12 are standing so as to fill a part or all of the opposing surface 11. In this case, for example, there is a group of columnar portions 12 in such a relationship that the shortest distance between one columnar portion 12 and the other columnar portion 12 closest to it is within a distance corresponding to twice the maximum dimension of the former in the extending direction of the opposing surface 11. In the present embodiment, some of the plurality of columnar portions 12 are standing so that adjacent columnar portions 12 do not contact each other.

[0019] In FIG. 2, 44 columnar portions 12 are shown. However, the number of columnar portions 12 is not limited to this, and there may be an appropriate number of columnar portions 12 according to the size of the columnar portions 12 and the area of the opposing surface 11. The number of columnar portions 12 may be, for example, 5 or more, 10 or more, 15 or more, 20 or more, 25 or more, 30 or more, 40 or more, or 50 or more.

[0020] Each columnar portion 12 has a contact surface 12a that contacts (surface-contacts) one surface 22 of the control circuit board 2 at the end in the direction away from the opposing surface 11 (upward). The total area of the contact surfaces 12a, that is, the area obtained by adding up the areas of the respective contact surfaces 12a of the plurality of columnar portions 12, is, for example, 1 / 10 or more of the area of the opposing surface 11 (total area of contact surfaces 12a / (a×b) ≥ 1 / 10). The total area of the contact surfaces 12a may be 1 / 8 or more, 1 / 6 or more, or 1 / 5 or more of the area of the opposing surface 11.

[0021] Near the center of the opposing surface 11 and to its right, two cylindrical positioning portions 13 are erected side by side in the left - right direction, separated from each other and protruding upward from the opposing surface 11. The positioning portion 13 is a portion to be positioned on the control circuit board 2. In the present embodiment, each positioning portion 13 has the same shape and the same dimensions. However, each positioning portion 13 does not have to be cylindrical and does not have to have the same shape and the same dimensions. Also, in order to ensure the positioning accuracy, it is preferable that there are two or more positioning portions 13. Also, the positioning portions 13 do not necessarily have to be erected side by side in the left - right direction and may be arranged side by side in the up - down direction or the diagonal direction. The height of the positioning portion 13 in the up - down direction is higher than the height of the plurality of columnar portions 12 in the up - down direction. That is, the distance from the opposing surface 11 to the end portion 13a of the positioning portion 13 is larger than the distance from the opposing surface 11 to the contact surface 12a.

[0022] Near the center of the front - side edge of the opposing surface 11, a substantially square - columnar first protruding portion 15 is formed. Note that the first protruding portion 15 is integrated with the lower side of a part of the plurality of columnar portions 12 (the columnar portions 12 provided near the center of the front - side edge of the opposing surface 11) on the front side. The height of the first protruding portion 15 in the up - down direction is slightly lower than the height of the plurality of columnar portions 12 in the up - down direction. The dimension of the first protruding portion 15 in the left - right direction is slightly smaller than the dimension of the receiving portion 18 in the left - right direction. The dimension of the first protruding portion 15 in the depth direction is slightly smaller than half of the dimension of the receiving portion 18 in the depth direction. The front - side end surface of the first protruding portion 15 shares a surface with the front - side end surface of the receiving portion 18.

[0023] The area from near the center in the depth direction of the upper end face of the first projection 15 toward the rear is a region 15b where no columnar portion 12 exists. Four connector pins 19, which are omitted in Figure 2, are arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction in region 15b. Each connector pin 19 penetrates the first projection 15 and the receiving portion 18 in the vertical direction and extends to the space where it is housed in the receiving portion 18 (Figure 3). On the upper end face of the first projection 15, some of the columnar portions 12 (eight columnar portions 12 in Figure 2) protrude slightly upward toward the front of region 15b.

[0024] A roughly rectangular prism-shaped second projection 16 is formed near the center of the far edge of the opposing surface 11. The second projection 16 is integrated with the lower side of some of the columnar parts 12 (the columnar part 12 provided near the center of the far edge of the opposing surface 11). The vertical height of the second projection 16 is slightly lower than the vertical height of the columnar parts 12. The horizontal dimension of the second projection 16 is the same as the horizontal dimension of the first projection 15. The depth dimension of the second projection 16 is approximately twice the depth dimension of the columnar part 12. The far end face of the second projection 16 shares a surface with the far end face of the receiving part 18. On the upper end face of the second projection 16, some of the columnar parts 12 (eight columnar parts 12 in Figure 2) protrude slightly upward.

[0025] The connector housing 1 is a resin molded body, and is integrally formed from a resin material including, for example, filler, including multiple columnar parts 12, positioning parts 13, a first engaging part 14, a first protrusion 15, a second protrusion 16, a terminal block 17, and a receiving part 18. Needless to say, heat dissipation will be further promoted by changing these to a resin material with high heat conductivity.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the control circuit board 2 has one surface 22 and the other surface 23. In this embodiment, the control circuit board 2 is a double-sided mounting board. However, the control circuit board 2 may be a single-sided mounting board. An integrated circuit 21 is mounted on the other surface 23. The control circuit board 2 is a so-called multilayer board, and is constructed by stacking copper foil 25, prepreg 27, copper foil 25, and solder resist 28 in that order from the central core material 24 outwards. In this embodiment, all contact surfaces 12a of the multiple columnar portions 12 of the connector housing 1 are in contact with one surface 22.

[0027] The control circuit board 2 has through holes 26 formed at positions corresponding to each positioning portion 13 of the connector housing 1. The positioning portion 13 is inserted into the through holes 26, and the end portion 13a of the positioning portion 13 protrudes upward from the other surface 23 of the control circuit board 2. The positioning portion 13 is positioned on the control circuit board 2 by being inserted into the through holes 26. The through holes 26 are holes that penetrate the control circuit board 2, and when the positioning portion 13 is inserted into the through holes 26, the copper foil 25 of the control circuit board 2 comes into contact with the positioning portion.

[0028] The four connector pins 19 penetrate vertically through the connector housing 1 and the control circuit board 2, extending from the space housed in the receiving portion 18 to the upper part of the other surface 23 of the control circuit board 2. The pin end 19a of each connector pin 19 protrudes upward from the other surface 23 of the control circuit board 2. Each connector pin 19 is electrically connected to a circuit (not shown) on the control circuit board 2.

[0029] In the connector housing 1 according to this embodiment, the contact surfaces 12a of the multiple columnar portions 12 are in contact with one surface 22. Therefore, a heat transfer path is formed in which heat mainly generated in the integrated circuit 21 is transmitted to the connector housing 1 via the copper foil 25 of the control circuit board 2 and the multiple columnar portions 12, and then released to the outside of the actuator 10. Furthermore, because the multiple columnar portions 12 are densely erected on the opposing surface 11, a large surface area is secured in the heat transfer path, improving heat dissipation efficiency. Moreover, because the total area of ​​the contact surfaces 12a is 1 / 10 or more of the area of ​​the opposing surface 11, more heat can be transmitted from the control circuit board 2 to the connector housing 1, further improving heat dissipation efficiency.

[0030] In addition, in the connector housing 1 according to this embodiment, two positioning portions 13 protrude upward from the other surface 23 of the control circuit board 2 through through holes 26. Since the through holes 26 expose the copper foil 25 that constitutes the control circuit board 2 to the outside, the positioning portions 13 are in contact with the copper foil 25 when inserted into the through holes 26. This creates another heat transfer path in which heat mainly generated in the integrated circuit 21 is transmitted to the connector housing 1 via the copper foil 25 of the control circuit board 2 and the positioning portions 13, and then released to the outside of the actuator 10, which is thought to further improve heat dissipation efficiency.

[0031] However, the copper foil 25 does not necessarily need to be exposed to the outside in the through-hole 26. Even if the copper foil 25 constituting the control circuit board 2 is not exposed to the outside in the through-hole 26, if the copper foil 25 and the positioning part 13 are in close proximity, it is thought that a heat transfer path is formed through which the heat generated in the integrated circuit 21 is propagated to the connector housing 1 via the positioning part 13.

[0032] [Other embodiments] Although preferred embodiments of the connector housing of the present invention have been described above, the connector housing of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the connector housing 1 is provided on the actuator 10, but the connector housing of the present invention may be provided on devices other than actuators.

[0033] In the above embodiment, a positioning portion 13, which is inserted into the control circuit board 2, is erected on the opposing surface 11 of the connector housing 1. However, the connector housing of the present invention does not necessarily have to have a positioning portion.

[0034] The connector housing 1 is formed from a resin material, but the heat dissipation efficiency of the connector housing of the present invention may be further improved by forming it from a resin material with higher heat transfer capacity.

[0035] If the control circuit board is a double-sided mounting board, multiple columnar sections or positioning sections may be arranged while avoiding areas where electronic components are mounted. Furthermore, heat dissipation efficiency may be increased by placing the positioning sections closer to the integrated circuit or by increasing the size of the positioning sections.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the multiple columnar portions 12 are in the shape of a regular square prism or a substantially regular square prism. However, the connector housing of the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the cross-section (cross-section parallel to the opposing surface) of the multiple columnar portions may be any shape depending on the desired surface area and other characteristics, such as a rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, circle, ellipse, star, T-shape, L-shape, E-shape, H-shape, X-shape, or an H-shape with one or more vertical bars added.

[0037] The area of ​​the contact surfaces of the multiple columnar sections and the distance between each columnar section can be appropriately selected according to the desired heat dissipation performance. Figure 4 is a transparent perspective view of the control circuit board 102 and connector housing 101 models used in a computer simulation of heat dissipation. In this model, the connector housing 101 has a facing surface 111 that faces the control circuit board 102, and multiple (16) columnar sections 112 are densely erected on the facing surface 111. Each of the multiple columnar sections 112 has a contact surface 112a at its end in the direction away from the facing surface 111 that contacts one surface 122 of the control circuit board 102. In the model in Figure 4, the total area of ​​the contact surface 112a is approximately 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the area of ​​the facing surface 111.

[0038] Using such a model, and with the shape of the multiple columnar parts set to a square prism shape, simulations of heat dissipation were performed by changing the area of ​​the contact surface and the distance between each columnar part. It was found that, as shown in the model in Figure 5 (connector housing 201), the heat dissipation efficiency is improved by increasing the area of ​​the contact surface 212a of the multiple columnar parts 212 and decreasing the distance between each columnar part 212. In the model in Figure 5, the total area of ​​the contact surface 212a is approximately 3 / 5 to 9 / 10 of the area of ​​the opposing surface 211. Based on these results, the dimensions and arrangement of the multiple columnar parts may be appropriately set while considering the ease of design and manufacturing, as well as interference with other parts of the connector housing and electronic components of the control circuit board.

[0039] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can modify the connector housing of the present invention as appropriate and change various combinations of configurations in accordance with conventionally known knowledge. As long as such modifications still possess the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 1,101,201…Connector housing, 11,111,211…Opposite surfaces, 12,112,212…Columnar parts, 12a,112a,212a…Contact surfaces, 13…Positioning part, 2…Control circuit board, 21…Integrated circuit, 22,122…One side, 23…Other side, 25…Copper foil, 26…Through hole.

Claims

1. It has a facing surface which is the surface facing the control circuit board, Multiple heat-conducting columnar sections are densely arranged and erected on the opposing surface, The aforementioned plurality of heat-conducting columnar parts include five or more heat-conducting columnar parts. Of the multiple heat-conducting columnar parts, one heat-conducting columnar part is surrounded by four other adjacent heat-conducting columnar parts. The aforementioned plurality of heat-conducting columnar portions have contact surfaces at their ends in the direction away from the opposing surfaces, which contact one surface of the control circuit board, thus forming a heat-dissipating connector housing.

2. The heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the total area of ​​the contact surfaces is 1 / 10 or more of the area of ​​the opposing surfaces.

3. A heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 1 or 2, which is a resin molded body.

4. The heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total area of ​​the contact surfaces is 1 / 4 or more and 1 / 2 or less, or 3 / 5 or more and 9 / 10 or less, of the area of ​​the opposing surfaces.

5. A heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein some of the plurality of heat-conducting columnar parts are erected so that adjacent heat-conducting columnar parts do not come into contact with each other.

6. A heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a positioning portion for insertion into the control circuit board is erected on the opposing surface.

7. The control circuit board has through holes formed in it. The heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 6, wherein the positioning portion is inserted into the through hole, and the end of the positioning portion protrudes from the other side of the control circuit board.

8. The through-hole exposes the copper foil constituting the control circuit board to the outside. The positioning portion, when inserted into the through hole, is in contact with the copper foil. A heat-dissipating connector housing according to claim 7.

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