Wire assembly and assembling method for using same

Abstract

A wire assembly and an assembling method for using same. The wire assembly comprises a wire, a terminal component, and a base. The terminal component comprises a crimp portion and an elastic piece structure. The crimp portion is crimped to one end of the wire. The elastic piece structure comprises a first extending portion and a second extending portion. The first extending portion is connected to the crimp portion and extends away from the one end of the wire mentioned above. The second extending portion is connected to the end of the first extending portion away from the crimp portion, and is folded back relative to the first extending portion. The base has an engagement groove. The first extending portion is engaged inside of the engagement groove. The second extending portion protrudes out of the engagement groove. In this way, the terminal component becomes an electrical connection structure that is firmly connected to the one end of the wire mentioned above.

Description

Wire assembly and assembly method using the same TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire assembly and an assembly method using the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] A power supply is an electronic device that converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). The direct current can be used to power various electronic devices, including computers, televisions, and cell phones.

[0003] A conventional DC power cord is crimped with a connector at a power supply end, and then manually assembled with a terminal seat on a printed circuit board of the power supply. The terminal seat is prearranged on the printed circuit board with other parts by surface mount technology (SMT) in the manufacturing process of the printed circuit board. However, such an assembly method requires a large number of terminals and consumes a lot of manpower.

[0004] Therefore, how to develop a wire assembly and an assembly method using the same to improve the problems and shortcomings in the prior art is a key issue in the current technical field.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, how to develop a wire assembly and an assembly method using the same to improve the problems and shortcomings in the prior art is a key issue in the current technical field.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wire assembly includes a wire, a terminal element, and a base. The terminal element includes a crimping portion and a spring structure. The crimping portion is crimped to one end of the wire. The spring structure includes a first extension portion and a second extension portion. The first extension portion is connected to the crimping portion and extends away from the one end of the wire. The second extension portion is connected to one end of the first extension portion away from the crimping portion and is folded back relative to the first extension portion. The base has a clamping groove. The first extension portion is clamped in the clamping groove. The second extension portion protrudes out of the clamping groove.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge of the first extension portion is slidably clamped to the inner edge of the clamping groove.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping groove has a side opening and a top opening. The first extension portion is configured to be inserted into the clamping groove through the side opening. The second extension portion is configured to protrude out of the clamping groove through the top opening.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the width of the side opening is greater than the width of the top opening.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the wire assembly further includes a wire sheath. The wire sheath includes an inner mold and an extension structure. The inner mold covers a portion of the wire. The extension structure connects the inner mold and covers another portion of the wire extending between the inner mold and the terminal element and a portion of the base.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the wire sheath further includes an outer mold. The outer mold covers a portion of the inner mold and forms a groove with the inner mold.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner mold and the extension structure include a first material. The outer mold includes a second material. The first material has a hardness greater than a hardness of the second material.

[0014] To achieve the above object, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an assembly method is used to assemble a wire assembly in a housing. The wire assembly includes a wire and a terminal element connected to one end of the wire. The terminal element includes a spring structure. The assembly method includes: extending the aforementioned one end of the wire into the housing so that the spring structure is located in the housing; placing a circuit board in the housing so that a solder material on the circuit board contacts the spring structure; and performing a non-contact soldering process to solder the spring structure and the solder material.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-contact soldering process is an electromagnetic induction soldering process.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, performing the non-contact soldering process includes: using an induction coil to perform the electromagnetic induction soldering process on the solder material and the spring structure in contact with each other through the housing.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the wire assembly further includes a wire sheath. The wire sheath covers the wire and has a groove. The housing includes a side wall. The step of extending the aforementioned one end of the wire into the housing includes: placing the wire sheath on the side wall so that a portion of the side wall is engaged in the groove.

[0018] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the wire sheath includes an extension structure. An edge of the circuit board has a notch. The step of extending the aforementioned one end of the wire into the housing is such that the extension structure is located in the housing. The step of placing the circuit board in the housing is such that the extension structure enters the notch.

[0019] In summary, in the wire assembly and the assembly method thereof of the present disclosure, the terminal element is firmly connected to the one end of the wire by crimping the crimping portion of the terminal element to the one end of the wire and engaging the terminal element and the base with each other. The wire sheath is wrapped around the wire and a portion of the base, and has a specific shape, so that the terminal element can be firmly positioned at a specific position in the housing after the wire assembly and the housing are assembled. This positioning facilitates the contact between the terminal element and the solder material on the circuit board after the subsequent assembly of the circuit board. Finally, the spring structure and the solder material are welded together by using a non-contact welding process, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing the use of parts and meet the needs of automatic assembly.

[0020] The above merely describes the problems to be solved by the present disclosure, the technical means for solving the problems, and the effects thereof. The specific details of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the embodiments and the related drawings below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the following is a description of the drawings:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a wire assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of some elements of the wire assembly in FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 is another partial perspective view of some elements of the wire assembly in FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a base of the wire assembly in FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 5 is another partial perspective view of some elements of the wire assembly in FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an assembly method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an intermediate stage of the assembly method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 8 is another schematic diagram of an intermediate stage of the assembly method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 9 is a side view of the structure in FIG. 8, in which the housing and the circuit board are shown in cross section;

[0031] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an inductive coil according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032]

SYMBOL DESCRIPTION

[0033] 100: wire assembly

[0034] 110: wire

[0035] 120: terminal element

[0036] 121: crimping portion

[0037] 122: spring structure

[0038] 122a: first extension portion

[0039] 122b: second extension portion

[0040] 130: base

[0041] 131: engaging groove

[0042] 131a: side opening

[0043] 131b: top opening

[0044] 140: wire sheath

[0045] 140a: groove

[0046] 141: inner mold

[0047] 142: extension structure

[0048] 143: outer mold

[0049] 200: housing

[0050] 210: side wall

[0051] 300: circuit board

[0052] 310: notch

[0053] 320: solder material

[0054] 400: inductive coil

[0055] D1: insertion direction

[0056] D2: lateral direction

[0057] S101, S102, S103: steps DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings, and many practical details will be described in the following description for the purpose of explanation. However, it should be understood that these practical details are not intended to limit the present disclosure. That is, these practical details are not essential in some embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be shown in a simplified manner in the drawings.

[0059] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating a wire assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating some elements of the wire assembly 100 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the wire assembly 100 includes a wire 110 and a terminal element 120. In some embodiments, the wire 110 is a DC power line of a power supply, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The terminal element 120 includes a crimping portion 121 and a spring structure 122. The crimping portion 121 is crimped to one end of the wire 110. Specifically, before crimping, the crimping portion 121 is a flat metal sheet. At this time, the wire 110 can be placed on the flat crimping portion 121. When crimping, the opposite sides of the crimping portion 121 can be bent upward to cover the wire 110, and then the crimping portion 121 can be pressed toward the wire 110, so that the crimping portion 121 is crimped to the wire 110. For example, the cross section of the crimped crimping portion 121 and the wire 110 is substantially similar to a heart shape, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 2, the spring structure 122 includes a first extension portion 122a and a second extension portion 122b. The first extension portion 122a is connected to the crimping portion 121 and extends away from the aforementioned one end of the wire 110. The second extension portion 122b is connected to one end of the first extension portion 122a away from the crimping portion 121 and is folded back relative to the first extension portion 122a. In this way, the terminal element 120 can become an electrical connection structure connected to one end of the wire 110 and can provide a cushioning effect when contacting other objects (such as the circuit board 300 shown in FIG. 9) by using its own elasticity.

[0061] In some embodiments, the terminal element 120 can be made of a metal sheet material to form the profiles of each part through processes such as stamping, and then to form a specific three-dimensional shape through processes such as bending.

[0062] In some embodiments, the included angle between the first extension portion 122a and the second extension portion 122b is less than 90 degrees, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0063] In some embodiments, the end of the second extension portion 122b away from the first extension portion 122a can be bent more than once in the same direction, so that the first extension portion 122a and the second extension portion 122b form an external shape such as a triangle, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, another partial perspective view of the partial elements of the wire assembly 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the wire assembly 100 further includes a base 130. The base 130 has a snap groove 131. The first extension 122a of the spring structure 122 is snapped into the snap groove 131. The second extension 122b of the spring structure 122 protrudes out of the snap groove 131. In addition, at least a portion of the crimp portion 121 of the spring structure 122 is carried on the base 130. In this way, the base 130 can make the terminal element 120 a secure electrical connection structure connected to one end of the wire 110.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of the base 130 of the wire assembly 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the edge of the first extension 122a is slidably snapped to the inner edge of the snap groove 131. In other words, in the present embodiment, the snap groove 131 is a slide groove.

[0066] Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the snap groove 131 has a side opening 131a and a top opening 131b. The side opening 131a and the top opening 131b are in communication. The first extension 122a of the terminal element 120 is configured to be inserted into the snap groove 131 through the side opening 131a. The second extension 122b of the terminal element 120 is configured to protrude out of the snap groove 131 through the top opening 131b. It should be noted that in order to make the edge of the first extension 122a slidably snap to the inner edge of the snap groove 131 and make the second extension 122b protrude out of the snap groove 131 through the top opening 131b, the width of the side opening 131a of the snap groove 131 can be designed to be greater than the width (width in the lateral direction D2 perpendicular to the insertion direction D1) of the top opening 131b. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the first extension 122a must be greater than the width (width in the aforementioned lateral direction D2) of the second extension 122b.

[0067] In some embodiments, the snap groove 131 can also be a snap structure other than a slide groove. For example, the snap structure can be a structure that simply uses a snap-in method to fix the first extension 122a.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 5, another partial perspective view of some elements of the wire assembly 100 of FIG. 1 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the wire assembly 100 further includes a wire jacket 140. The wire jacket 140 includes an inner mold 141 and an extension structure 142. The inner mold 141 covers a portion of the wire 110. The extension structure 142 connects the inner mold 141 and covers another portion of the wire 110 extending between the inner mold 141 and the terminal element 120 and a portion of the base 130. In other words, in addition to the aforementioned one end being crimped by the crimping portion 121, the aforementioned portion of the wire 110 extending away from the terminal element 120 is buried within the wire jacket 140. In this way, the wire jacket 140 and the base 130 can jointly and stably maintain the relative positions of the wire 110 and the terminal element 120.

[0069] Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the wire jacket 140 further includes an outer mold 143. The outer mold 143 covers a portion of the inner mold 141 and covers the portion of the wire 110 extending further away from the terminal element 120 than the inner mold 141. The outer mold 143 and the inner mold 141 form a groove 140a. By having the extension structure 142 of the wire jacket 140 cover the wire 110 and a portion of the base 130 and by having the wire jacket 140 have a specific shape, the terminal element 120 can be stably positioned at a specific location within the housing 200 after the wire assembly 100 and the housing 200 are assembled. This positioning facilitates the subsequent contact between the terminal element 120 and the solder material 320 on the circuit board 300 after the circuit board 300 is assembled, as will be described in more detail below.

[0070] In some embodiments, the inner mold 141 and the extension structure 142 include a first material. The outer mold 143 includes a second material. The first material has a greater hardness than the second material. In this way, the inner mold 141 and the extension structure 142 having the first material with the greater hardness can jointly and stably maintain the relative positions of the wire 110 and the terminal element 120 with the base 130, while the outer mold 143 having the second material with the smaller hardness can allow the wire 110 buried therein to swing freely.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first material is a plastic with a greater hardness, and the second material is a plastic with a smaller hardness. In actual manufacturing, the inner mold 141 and the extension structure 142 can be first molded around the wire 110 using an insert molding process and then the outer mold 143 can be molded around the inner mold 141 using an over-molding process.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 6, a flowchart illustrating an assembly method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The assembly method shown in FIG. 6 mainly includes steps S101-S103, which are used to assemble a wire assembly 100, such as that shown in FIG. 1, in a housing 200, such as that shown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the housing 200 is a case of a power supply, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As previously described, the wire assembly 100 includes a wire 110 and a terminal element 120 connected to one end of the wire 110. The terminal element 120 includes a spring structure 122.

[0073] Step S101: Extending one end of the wire 110 into the housing 200 such that the spring structure 122 is located inside the housing 200.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 7, a schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of the assembly method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, the housing 200 includes a side wall 210. In addition, as previously described, the wire assembly 100 includes a wire sheath 140 covering the wire 110. Step S101 is such that the extension structure 142 of the wire sheath 140 is located inside the housing 200. In this structural configuration, step S101 can include step S101a.

[0075] Step S101a: Placing the wire sheath 140 on the side wall 210 of the housing 200 such that a portion of the side wall 210 is clamped in the groove 140a between the inner mold 141 and the outer mold 143.

[0076] It can be seen that, by covering the wire 110 and a portion of the base 130 with the extension structure 142 of the wire sheath 140, and by providing the wire sheath 140 with a specific shape (i.e., the aforementioned groove 140a), the terminal element 120 can be stably positioned at a specific location inside the housing 200 after the wire assembly 100 and the housing 200 are assembled.

[0077] Step S102: Placing a circuit board 300 inside the housing 200 such that the solder material 320 on the circuit board 300 contacts the spring structure 122.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. FIG. 8 is another schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of the assembling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a side view of the structure in FIG. 8, in which the housing 200 and the circuit board 300 are presented in a cross-sectional manner. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the circuit board 300 can be inserted into the housing 200 from top to bottom. The lower surface of the circuit board 300 has the solder material 320 covering the electrical contacts (not shown). In particular, the edge of the circuit board 300 has a notch 310. In addition, as mentioned above, the wire sheath 140 includes the extension structure 142. In this structural configuration, step S102 is to make the extension structure 142 of the wire sheath 140 enter the notch 310 of the circuit board 300. This notch 310 can serve as a design for avoiding structural interference with the extension structure 142 of the wire sheath 140 when the circuit board 300 is inserted into the housing 200, and also as a foolproof design during assembly.

[0079] Step S103: performing a non-contact soldering process to solder the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the induction coil 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the non-contact soldering process is an electromagnetic induction soldering process, and step S103 includes step S103a.

[0081] Step S103a: performing an electromagnetic induction soldering process on the solder material 320 and the spring structure 122 in contact with each other through the housing 200 by using the induction coil 400.

[0082] It should be noted that the electromagnetic induction soldering process is a soldering process that uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to heat metal workpieces (such as the solder material 320 and the spring structure 122 on the circuit board 300) to a melting temperature, and then combines them together after cooling. The principle is briefly described as follows.

[0083] When an alternating current flows through the induction coil 400, an alternating magnetic field is generated around the induction coil 400. If the induction coil 400 is moved to the vicinity of the spring structure 122, the spring structure 122 will cut the magnetic lines of force. According to Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, an induced current, also known as eddy current, is generated in the spring structure 122. The eddy current flows in the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320. Since the metal has resistance, the eddy current generates Joule heat in the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320, which increases the temperature of the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320. As the frequency of the alternating current increases, the frequency of the eddy current also increases. The heat generated in the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320 also increases. When the temperature reaches the melting point of the solder material 320, the solder material 320 melts. In the molten state, the surface of the spring structure 122 and the solder material 320 fuse together. When the alternating current stops, the solder material 320 cools and solidifies, forming a firm solder structure with the spring structure 122.

[0084] In practical applications, if there is enough space on the side of the circuit board 300 away from the housing 200 and the arrangement density of electronic components is not high, the induction coil 400 can be extended into the housing 200 and perform the electromagnetic induction welding process on the solder material 320 and the spring structure 122 on the aforementioned side of the circuit board 300 away from the housing 200.

[0085] Therefore, compared with the prior art which requires the use of SMT to set the terminal seat and then manually connects the DC power line to the terminal seat, the assembly method of the present embodiment can achieve the purpose of reducing the use of parts and meet the needs of automated assembly.

[0086] From the above detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be clearly seen that in the wire assembly and the assembly method thereof of the present disclosure, by crimping the crimping portion of the terminal element to one end of the wire and engaging the terminal element and the base with each other, the terminal element becomes an electrical connection structure stably connected to the aforementioned one end of the wire. By covering the wire and a part of the base with the extension structure of the wire sheath and making the wire sheath have a specific shape, the terminal element can be stably positioned at a specific position in the housing after the wire assembly and the housing are assembled. This positioning helps the terminal element to contact the solder material on the circuit board after the circuit board is assembled. Finally, using the non-contact welding process to weld the spring structure and the solder material together can achieve the purpose of reducing the use of parts and meet the needs of automated assembly.

[0087] Although the present disclosure has been disclosed with embodiments as above, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wire assembly, characterized by Comprising: a wire; a terminal element comprising: a crimping portion crimped to one end of the wire; and a spring structure comprising a first extension portion connected to the crimping portion and extending away from the end of the wire, and a second extension portion connected to the first extension portion at an end thereof away from the crimping portion and folded back relative to the first extension portion; and a base having a clamping groove, wherein the first extension portion is clamped in the clamping groove and the second extension portion protrudes out of the clamping groove.

2. The wire assembly of claim 1, wherein, An edge of the first extension portion is slidably clamped to an inner edge of the clamping groove.

3. The wire assembly of claim 2, wherein, The clamping groove has a side opening and a top opening, the first extension portion is configured to be inserted into the clamping groove through the side opening, and the second extension portion is configured to protrude out of the clamping groove through the top opening.

4. The wire assembly of claim 3, wherein, A width of the side opening is greater than a width of the top opening.

5. The wire assembly of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a wire sheath comprising: an inner mold covering a portion of the wire; and an extension structure connected to the inner mold and covering another portion of the wire extending between the inner mold and the terminal element and a portion of the base.

6. The wire assembly of claim 5, wherein, The wire sheath further comprises an outer mold covering a portion of the inner mold and forming a groove with the inner mold.

7. The wire assembly of claim 6, wherein, The inner mold and the extension structure comprise a first material, the outer mold comprises a second material, and a hardness of the first material is greater than a hardness of the second material.

8. An assembly method characterized by, To assemble a wire assembly in a housing, the wire assembly comprising a wire and a terminal element connected to one end of the wire, the terminal element comprising a spring structure, the assembly method comprising: extending the end of the wire into the housing such that the spring structure is located in the housing; placing a circuit board in the housing such that a solder material on the circuit board contacts the spring structure; and performing a non-contact soldering process to solder the spring structure to the solder material. The non-contact soldering process is an electromagnetic induction soldering process.

9. The method of assembly of claim 8, wherein, The performing the non-contact soldering process comprises:

10. The method of assembly of claim 9, wherein, performing the electromagnetic induction soldering process on the solder material and the spring structure in contact with each other through the housing using an induction coil. The wire assembly further comprises a wire sheath covering the wire and having a groove, the housing comprises a side wall, and the extending the end of the wire into the housing comprises:

11. The method of assembly of claim 8, wherein, placing the wire sheath on the side wall such that a portion of the side wall is clamped in the groove. The wire sheath comprises an extension structure, an edge of the circuit board has a notch, the extending the end of the wire into the housing is such that the extension structure is located in the housing, and the placing the circuit board in the housing is such that the extension structure enters the notch.

12. The method of assembly of claim 11, wherein, ​

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