Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-04
2001-12-04
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S949000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325642
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box suitable to be mounted on, for example, an automobile or other vehicle, and more specifically relates to a connecting structure for a printed circuit board and a bus bar laminate in the electric connection box.
2. Description of Related Art
As described in the “Description of Related Art” section of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/575,679, which is incorporated herein by reference, conventional electrical connecting boxes have various problems such as impaired connection reliability between a printed circuit board and a bus bar laminate, and the formation of “dead areas” occupied by connectors. Better electrical connection boxes are needed to address these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An example of an electrical connection box suitable to be mounted in an automobile or the like is shown in FIG.
7
. The box
41
is equipped with a bus bar laminate
44
composed of bus bars
42
and insulator layers
43
, and a printed circuit board
45
having a function of an ECU (electronic control unit). Various electrical parts
46
are mounted on one face of the printed circuit board
45
. Terminals of these electrical parts
46
are soldered in the plated through-holes of the board
45
.
A pair of housings
47
is provided on the uppermost insulator layer
43
, and connectors
48
of bent sheet metal are held in the housings
47
. Male tabs
42
a
formed by bending up portions of the bus bars
42
are inserted and held in the lower opening parts of the respective connectors
48
. Connecting terminals
50
are partially molded in resin blocks
49
, and their first ends
50
a
are soldered to the plated through-holes of the circuit board
45
. The second ends
50
b
of the respective connecting terminals
50
are inserted and held in the upper opening parts of the connectors
48
. In this way, the circuit board
45
and the bus bar laminate
44
are electrically connected.
However, when the number of parts is large, the number of steps needed for assembly increases, because a large number of the connectors
48
are required in this electrical connection box
41
. Accordingly, this has resulted in complication of structure, cost increase of products, and weight increase of products.
The present invention has an object to provide an electrical connection box containing a printed circuit board and a bus bar laminate, which can have a simple structure and can be of low cost and light weight.
According to the invention there is provided an electrical connection box comprising a bus bar laminate having at least one bus bar and at least one insulation layer laminated together, and a printed circuit board. A plurality of connection terminals have first ends connected by soldering to the printed circuit board, and second ends remote from the first ends. The bus bar laminate has a plurality of upstanding connection tabs formed by bending portions of at least one of the bus bars. Respective pairs of the connection terminals and the connection tabs are connected together, to establish electrical connection between the bus bar laminate and the printed circuit board. This electrical connection is accomplished using an insertion groove provided in either the connection tab or the second end of the connection terminal, with the other thereof being inserted into and held in the insertion groove.
Preferably the box has at least one molded block of resin material in which a plurality of the connection terminals are held spaced apart by insert molding with their ends exposed outside the molded block. Preferably, in this case, on the bus bar laminate, there is at least one housing composed of insulation material upstanding towards the printed circuit board, containing a plurality of the connection tabs and having an outer end against which the molded resin block abuts.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5759050 (1998-06-01), Matsuoka et al.
patent: A-10-178286 (1998-06-01), None
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Patel Tulsidas
Prasad Chandrika
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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