Connection structure for printed circuit board and terminal block, terminal block, and air-conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for connecting a terminal block to a printed circuit board, such as screwing or soldering, are not suitable for automated mounting, leading to time-consuming manual processes and reduced productivity.
Innovation Solution
A connection structure that includes a printed circuit board with holes for screws, a conducting plate with elastic support portions, and a terminal block with a nut and screw system, allowing for reliable attachment and easy wire connection without soldering, enhancing work efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the terminal block is screwed to the printed circuit board or soldered, then reliable attachment is achieved, but automated mounting is not possible and manual operation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is divided into separate components: a terminal block main body, a conducting plate, and a screw assembly. The conducting plate is inserted into the terminal block main body, and the screw passes through the conducting plate to secure the connection. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured and assembled, enabling automated mounting while maintaining reliable electrical and mechanical connections.
2Extent of automation
If the electric wire is fixed directly to the pattern with a screw, then automated mounting is enabled, but the attachment plate structure becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The conducting plate is extracted as a separate component from the terminal block main body. The conducting plate includes a conducting portion that contacts the pattern and support portions that are inserted into the terminal block main body. This extraction simplifies the overall structure by separating the electrical connection function (conducting plate) from the mechanical housing (terminal block main body), making the attachment plate structure simpler and more modular.
3Reliability
If manual screwing or soldering is used, then reliable connection is achieved, but productivity is reduced due to time-consuming processes
Solution Approach 1:
The conducting plate is pre-inserted into the terminal block main body before the final screwing operation. The support portions of the conducting plate are inserted into the terminal block main body in advance, positioning the conducting portion ready to contact the pattern. This preliminary action prepares the connection structure for automated screwing, enabling reliable connections to be made quickly without manual adjustment, thereby improving productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient, automated attachment of terminal blocks to printed circuit boards, ensuring reliable connections, reducing manual labor, and maintaining a compact design while eliminating the need for soldering.
Implementation Method 1
the conducting plate is an elastic body that integrally includes, in relation to an axial direction of the screw and an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the axial direction: a first support portion inserted into the terminal-block main body in the axial direction; a conducting portion that extends in the orthogonal direction from a base end portion on an opposite side of a tip end portion of the first support portion inserted into the terminal-block main body, is interposed between the pattern and the nut, folded back in a U shape, and interposed between the pattern and a head of the screw
Data Source
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AI summary
A connection structure between a printed circuit board and a terminal block according to the present disclosure includes a printed circuit board in which a pattern is drawn out near an end portion serving as an insertion portion, a terminal-block main body having a space serving as a receiving port for the insertion portion, a nut held in the terminal-block main body, and a screw tightened into the nut with the pattern interposed between the screw and the nut while the insertion portion is inserted into the space.