Terminal structure

Details Terminal structure Terminal structure

1999-04-06

2001-09-04

Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With insulation other than conductor sheath

Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation

C439S733100, C439S884000, C264S263000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06283798

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal structure provided on the inside of an electrical component part such as a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bus bars in the form of a plurality of pins are used as the internal circuits of some electrical component parts such as connectors. Such a bus bar must be prevented from being brought into contact with an adjoining bus bar. Consequently, a required number of bus bars are inserted into a mold and the bus bars thus inserted are resin-molded to fix the bus bars.
FIG. 3
shows conventional circuit members
1
and
2
for use in insert molding. The circuit member
1
has a plurality of bus bars
3
and the circuit member
2
also has a plurality of bus bars
4
. In this case, the circuit members
1
and
2
have coupling portions
5
and
6
respectively in order that adjoining bus bars
3
and
4
are coupled together with a space provided therebetween. The coupling portions
5
and
6
are provided on the respective one end sides of the bus bars
3
and
4
, the other end sides of the bus bars
3
and
4
being used as free ends
3
a
and
4
a
. Furthermore, the bus bars
3
and
4
have connecting portions
9
and
10
respectively (see FIGS.
4
(
a
) to
4
(
c
)), the connecting portions
9
and
10
being connected by wire bonding to a printed circuit board or the like. The connecting portions
9
and
10
are respectively plated with conductive materials such as gold so as to carry out wire bonding.
In order to form an internal circuit of an electrical component by the use of the aforementioned circuit members
1
and
2
, the procedure shown in FIGS.
4
(
a
) to
4
(
c
) is followed. As shown in FIG.
4
(
a
), the free end
3
a
of the bus bar
3
of one circuit member
1
is inserted and set into a positioning hole (not shown) of a bottom force
7
first. Then the free end
4
a
of the bus bar
4
of the other circuit member
2
is inserted into the positioning hole of the bottom force
7
. At this time, the other circuit member
2
is kept floating from the bottom force
7
.
As shown by an arrow in FIG.
4
(
b
), the bus bars
4
of the other circuit member
2
are fitted in between the bus bars
3
of the one circuit member
1
by sliding the other circuit member
2
downward so that the circuit members
1
and
2
are set in the same plane. Then a top force
8
is lowered as shown in FIG.
4
(
c
) to effect clamping and resin is injected into the mold for hardening thereafter. Thus, the bus bars
3
and
4
are fixedly formed to provide a terminal structure. The coupling portions
5
and
6
of the circuit members
1
and
2
are removed by cutting after the resin-molding process is performed.
However, the bus bars
3
and
4
are caused to rub against each other in the process of forming the conventional terminal structure when the circuit members
1
and
2
are successively set in the bottom force
7
before the bus bars
4
of the circuit member
2
are fitted in between the bus bars
3
of the circuit member
1
. The rubbing poses a problem in that the conductive materials used to cover the connecting portions
9
and
10
of the respective bus bars
3
and
4
come off or scratches are made on the surfaces of the bus bars, which results in faulty wire bonding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide a terminal structure without causing a conductive plating to come off and also causing any damage to the structure by preventing bus bars from rubbing against each other when circuit members are set up.
In order to accomplish the object above, the invention provides a terminal structure in which two circuit members are formed with a plurality of bus bars respectively constituting internal circuits, the plurality of bus bars being coupled together in parallel by respective coupling portions with a space provided between the bus bars and in which circuit members are successively set in a mold in such a way that the bus bars of the other of the circuit members are fitted in between the bus bars of one of the circuit members without contact with the bus bars of the one circuit member whereby the bus bars in that set condition are fixed by resin-molding, wherein a position regulating portion for temporarily setting the other circuit member in the mold is provided in the other circuit member, whereby to temporarily set the other circuit member with a space formed from the bus bars of the one circuit member.
The position regulating portion functions as what has the other circuit member spaced out from the bus bars of the one circuit member when the other circuit member is set in the mold. Therefore, the bus bars of the two circuit members are prevented from being brought into contact with and rubbing against each other at the initial stage of setting the circuit member in the mold.
In the temporarily set condition, the positions of the bus bars can be adjusted lest the bus bars of the circuit members should be brought into contact with each other. After the positions of the bus bars are adjusted, the bus bars of the other circuit member are fitted in between the bus bars of the one circuit member by releasing the temporarily set condition of the other circuit member to establish a complete set condition. Therefore, the bus bars of the circuit members are prevented from being brought into contact with and rubbing against each other when the other circuit member is set.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4284314 (1981-08-01), Lesyk
patent: 4618207 (1986-10-01), Silbernagel
patent: 4734043 (1988-03-01), Emert et al.
patent: 5938039 (1999-08-01), Liu

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