CN211789623U

CN211789623U - Assembly of a circuit board and at least one plug contact

Info

Publication number: CN211789623U
Application number: CN201890000857.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: S.皮奇曼; R.格斯克
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2017-05-16
Filing date: 2018-05-15
Publication date: 2020-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2028-05-15
Also published as: DE102017110621B3; WO2018210785A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly consisting of a circuit board (1) and at least one plug contact (2), wherein at least one contact opening (3) is formed in the circuit board (1), and wherein the at least one plug contact (2) is formed from a metallic flat material and has two contact arms (4;5) which are resilient relative to one another and each of which has a contact region (4a;5a) which, in the inserted state, is in contact with the contact opening (3). The assembly of the circuit board (1) and at least one plug contact (2) according to the invention can thus be used flexibly with a small installation space available, i.e. the at least one contact opening is arranged in an edge region (1a) of the circuit board (1) and is designed as a recess (3) which is open on one side.

Description

Assembly of a circuit board and at least one plug contact

Technical Field

The utility model relates to an subassembly that comprises circuit board and at least one plug contact (Steckkontakt). At least one contact opening for inserting a plug contact is formed in the circuit board, the plug contact being formed from a metallic flat material (Flachmaterial) and having two contact arms (kontake tschenkel) which are resilient relative to one another. The contact arms each have a contact region with which the contact arm makes contact with the contact opening in the inserted state of the plug contact.

Background

Plug contacts for establishing an electrical connection between conductors, different electrical or electronic components and busbars are known in different embodiments and for different fields of application. For this purpose, the plug contacts are inserted into corresponding receiving contacts (aufnahmekontkakt), which may be openings in the busbar, for example, or into the socket element. The plug contact itself can be connected to an electrical component or can be provided for connection to an electrical conductor, for which purpose the plug contact then has a correspondingly configured connection region (anshlussbereich).

Different techniques exist for the connection between the circuit board and the electrical component or the connection of the conductor to the circuit board, wherein in practice, in particular soldering and pressing in of the corresponding contact is established. Both techniques have proven suitable for many years, since they ensure a good and durable electrical contact between the contact partners. A disadvantage of both welding and pressing is that the two joining techniques are not reversible, so that the joint that is produced at one time cannot be separated again (or can only be separated with increased effort). Furthermore, additional work steps and/or special tools are required for establishing the connection. Here, a plug connection (which has been used for decades in other fields of use) provides an alternative, since this connection can be established simply by hand and can also be separated again if required, i.e. is reversible.

Plug contacts designed for use in circuit boards have been known from practice for some time, which are designed in the manner of a spring fork (Federgabel) and have two flat contact arms which are resilient relative to one another and which are connected to one another via a common connecting region. The plug contact is stamped and bent out of a metallic flat material, wherein the two contact arms are stamped out with the smallest possible area between them for the production of the two contact arms. In the inserted state, the contact arm presses with its two outer edges against the inner wall of the contact hole (into which the plug contact is inserted). The connecting region opposite the contact arm is designed as a crimp connection (crimpanshold) so that the conductor can be connected to the plug contact.

Since the contact arm is pressed with its cut-out edge (stanzkane) against the inner wall of the contact hole, the outer edge of the contact arm projects into the metallization (metalrieng) of the bore wall when the plug contact is pressed into the contact hole of the circuit board. In this case, cold welds occur between the metallization of the borehole wall and the contact arms, which ensure good electrical contact. However, it is disadvantageous here that the sharp edges of the contact arms can damage the inner wall of the contact hole during the plugging process, so that a coating applied in the contact hole, for example made of tin, is worn away after a few plugging cycles.

A terminal (Anschlussklemme) with a plurality of plug contacts as described above is known from DE 102011011017 a 1. The individual plug contacts are arranged next to one another in rows in the chamber of the connecting housing in such a way that the plug contacts extend perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board. The connecting region in each plug contact is designed as a crimp connection for connecting the individual conductors. In this way, a plurality of conductors can be connected to the circuit board, in which the individual contact holes have a small distance to one another. The terminal connector has a minimum height which is determined by the length of the plug contact, so that the use of the known terminal connector requires a correspondingly minimum installation space above the plane of the circuit board. If this structural space is not available, the connection terminals cannot be used, in particular the orientation of the connection terminals relative to the circuit board cannot be changed.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the initially described type, which is composed of a circuit board and at least one plug contact and which can be used as flexibly as possible even in the case of a small available installation space. In this case, a safe and as good as possible contact between the plug contact and the contact opening in the circuit board should also be ensured over a plurality of plug cycles.

This object is achieved for the assembly according to the invention described at the outset with a circuit board and at least one plug contact in that the at least one contact opening is arranged in the edge region of the circuit board and is designed as a recess which is open on one side. Instead of the contact holes which are closed at the periphery and are known from the prior art, in the assembly according to the invention at least one recess which is open on one side and has a U-shaped or V-shaped base surface is formed in the circuit board in the edge region of the circuit board. This makes it possible to insert the plug contacts from two directions perpendicular to one another into the recesses which are open on one side.

On the one hand, the plug contacts can be oriented perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board when inserted into the recesses, as is also the case in connection plugs known from the prior art, in which the plug contacts are inserted into contact holes in the circuit board. On the other hand, however, there is also the possibility of inserting the plug contact horizontally into a recess which is open on one side, the longitudinal axis of the plug contact in the inserted state being in the plane of the circuit board and coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the recess. The assembly according to the invention thus achieves that the plug contacts can have different orientations relative to the circuit board or relative to a single-sided open recess formed in the circuit board. The plug contacts are preferably inserted horizontally into the recesses, so that the assembly can also be used in places perpendicular to the circuit board, where only a very limited installation space is available.

The assembly is initially formed from a circuit board and at least one plug contact. In this case, it is sufficient if only one corresponding recess in the circuit board is also configured as a contact opening for the plug contact. However, the assembly is usually formed by a circuit board and a plurality of plug contacts, so that a plurality of corresponding recesses are also formed in the circuit board, the number of recesses in the circuit board being greater than or equal to the number of plug contacts. The recess can be produced here preferably by milling, wherein the contact area of the recess is electrically connected to a conductor circuit (Leiterbahn) or a structural element on the circuit board. For this purpose, at least the contact region of the recess has a metallization as a conductive coating, which is usually a copper layer.

Since the contact opening in the circuit board in the assembly according to the invention is configured as a recess which is open on one side, the risk of damage to the contact region of the recess or the contact arm when inserting the plug contact is reduced in comparison to a contact hole configured as a contact opening. According to an advantageous embodiment, it is furthermore provided that the outer contours of the two contact arms are each formed in the contact region in the longitudinal direction in the form of a circular arc (kreissegmentfoormig). The outer contour of the contact arm is therefore, in particular in the region of the contact arm which in the inserted state is in contact with the recess, shaped such that it has no sharp edges (which protrude into the inner wall of the recess when the plug contact is inserted, in particular into the metallization formed there). The number of possible plug-in cycles can thereby be increased further without causing damage at the inner wall of the recess or at the contact arm.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the outer contours of the two contact arms are formed in the contact region both in the longitudinal direction and in the cross section in a circular arc shape, so that the contact regions of the two contact arms are formed spherically. The two contact arms thus have a rounded outer contour in the contact region both in the insertion direction and perpendicular to the insertion direction of the contact arms, so that only one substantially point-shaped contact is present in the contact region between the contact arms and the recesses.

The spherical shape of the contact regions can be produced here simply by means of a die (Gesenk), in which the contact regions of the contact arms are pressed or pressed against the contact arms after the plug contacts have been punched out of a metallic flat material. Such a stamping or forming of the outer contour of the contact arm by blanking has the additional advantage that the roughness of the outer contour of the contact arm, which is produced during the stamping operation, is smoothed in such a way that the risk of damage to the coating applied at the inner wall of the cutout is further reduced.

In order to further facilitate the insertion of the contact arm of the plug contact into the recess, the recess preferably has a lead-in region, wherein the width B of the lead-in region_EGreater than the width B of the contact region_K. Such a lead-in region, which is preferably designed symmetrically with respect to the center axis, serves here at the same time as a lead-in aid (einfuehrlfe) when the plug contact is inserted into the recess. Preferably, the lead-in region of the recess is also provided here with a coating or a metallization, so that the inner wall of the recess is provided with a corresponding metallization over its entire length. By also forming the metallization in the insertion region of the recess, the insertion region of the circuit board is additionally protected, so that the risk of damage in the insertion region is further reduced. Furthermore, the metallization is advantageously configured along the entire inner wall of the recess when manufacturing the circuit board.

In order to also join the electrical conductors at the plug contact, the plug contact preferably has a joining region which is connected to the two contact arms via a connecting region which connects the two contact arms to one another. Different joining techniques can be used here for joining the conductors to the plug contacts. For example, the connecting region of the plug contact can be designed as a crimp connection, by means of which the stripped end of the conductor to be connected can be electrically connected to the plug contact. Alternatively, the connection region can also be designed as a knife edge connection (Schneidanschluss) in such a way that the connection region has two knife edges lying opposite one another, the insulated ends of the conductors to be connected being pressed between the knife edges in such a way that the knife edges penetrate the insulation of the conductors and contact the metal conductors.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the connecting region is designed as a flat current beam (Strombalken), which then forms a spring-force clamping connection together with a clamping spring (Klemmfeder). In order to increase the surface pressure (flaechenpresung) between the inserted conductor and the current beam, a plurality of grooves or recesses (einkerburg) are preferably formed at the side of the current beam facing the conductor, thereby reducing the transition resistance between the conductor and the current beam.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the at least one plug contact is part of the connecting plug. The joint plug has a housing in which the plug contacts are arranged in such a way that the contact arms are freely accessible at least in their contact regions, i.e. the insertion of the contact arms into recesses in the circuit board is not impeded by the housing. In the housing, a number of conductor insertion openings is formed corresponding to the number of plug contacts, through which the conductors to be connected can be inserted into the housing.

A conductor connecting element can be arranged in the housing, by means of which the conductor to be connected can be connected to the plug contact in an electrically conductive manner. Preferably, a clamping spring is provided as the conductor connection element, which clamping spring has a clamping leg and an abutment leg (angel conductor) such that the clamping leg and the connection region of the plug contact form a spring-loaded clamping connection for the electrical conductor to be connected.

Drawings

There are now, in particular, a large number of possibilities for designing and improving an assembly according to the invention, which is composed of a circuit board and at least one plug contact. Reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an assembly according to the invention consisting of a circuit board and a plurality of plug contacts,

figure 2a shows the assembly according to figure 1 from the front and figure 2b shows the assembly according to figure 1 in a top view,

figure 3 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention with two conductors in a state not yet inserted,

figure 4 shows a variant of the assembly according to figure 3 with two conductors in a state not yet inserted,

fig. 5 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention with two conductors in a state of not yet inserted, and,

fig. 6 shows a variant of the assembly according to fig. 5 with two conductors in a state not yet inserted.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of an assembly of a circuit board 1 and a plurality of plug contacts 2. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a total of four contact openings are formed in the printed circuit board 1, all of which are formed as recesses 3 open on one side and are arranged in the edge region 1a of the printed circuit board 1. The circuit board 1 can therefore be connected to a total of four plug contacts 2. The bent plug contact 2 punched out of a metallic flat material has two

contact arms

4, 5 which are resilient relative to one another and at the free ends of which

contact regions

4a, 5a are formed in each case, with which contact regions the plug contact 2 contacts the recess 3 in the inserted state.

Since the circuit board 1 has a recess 3, which is open on one side, arranged in its edge region 1a as a contact opening, the plug contact 2 can be arranged selectively perpendicularly to the plane of the circuit board 1 or in the plane of the circuit board 1. Preferably, the plug contact 2 is arranged in the longitudinal axis L of the recess 3 in two variants of the orientation of the plug contact 2, as shown here by the arrow in fig. 1_AIs inserted into the recess 3. Longitudinal axis L of plug contact 2_SIn this case, either perpendicular to the insertion direction E (as in fig. 1 for the two front plug contacts 2) or parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the recess 3_A(the latter two plug contacts 2 as in fig. 1) are oriented.

As can be seen in particular from the top view (left half) according to fig. 2, the

contact arms

4, 5 of the plug contact 2 have an outer contour 6 in the

contact regions

4a, 5a, which is embodied in the form of a circular arc in the longitudinal direction of the

contact arms

4, 5. In addition, the outer contour 6 of the two

contact arms

4, 5 is formed in the

contact regions

4a, 5a in a circular arc shape in cross section, so that the two

contact arms

4, 5 are formed in the

contact regions

4a, 5a in a corresponding spherical manner. This results in that a large number of plug-and-pull cycles can be carried out with plug contacts 2 constructed in this way, without damage being caused to the

contact regions

4a, 5a of the recesses 3 or of the

contact arms

4, 5.

This further facilitates the insertion of the

contact arms

4, 5 of the plug contact 2 into the recess 3, i.e. the recess 3 has a funnel-shaped lead-in region 7, the width B of which_EGreater than the width B of the contact area 8 of the recess 3_K. The insertion region 7 serves at the same time as an insertion aid when inserting the plug contact 2 into the recess 3.

The recesses 3 are milled into the circuit board 1 formed from a plastic material (e.g., FR4) in each case at the edge region 1a, wherein the inner wall 9 of each of the recesses 3 is provided with a metallization, e.g., a copper layer. The metallization is connected to a conductor circuit, not shown, on the upper side, on the lower side or in the interior of the circuit board 1, via which an electrical connection of the plug contact 2 to an electronic component, not shown, arranged on the circuit board 1 can be achieved. The inner wall 9 of the recess 3 is preferably provided with a metallization over its entire length, as a result of which the lead-in region 7 of the recess 3 is mechanically protected. Thereby further reducing the risk of damage to the lead-in area 7 when inserting the plug contact 2 into the recess 3.

Fig. 3 and 4 each show an exemplary embodiment of an assembly of a circuit board 1 and two plug contacts 2 in a state in which they are not yet plugged together. The two plug contacts 2 are part of a joining plug 10, which has a housing 11 in which the two plug contacts 2 are arranged in part. As can be seen from fig. 3, the two plug contacts 2 with their

contact regions

4a, 5a and their

contact arms

4, 5 are freely accessible, that is to say are not surrounded by the housing 11, so that the plug contacts 2 can be inserted without problems into the corresponding recesses 3 in the circuit board 1. In addition, two conductor insertion openings 12 are formed in housing 11 of connecting plug 10 for the insertion of two electrical conductors 13.

If the plug 10 is to be joined in the assembly shown in fig. 3 in twoThe plug contacts 2 are inserted into the two recesses 3 in the circuit board 1, and the housing 11 of the connecting plug 10 is arranged with its largest part below the circuit board 1. In contrast, in the embodiment according to fig. 4, the majority of the housing 11 of the connector plug 10 is located above the circuit board 1 in the assembled state. Common to both embodiment variants is that the insertion direction E of the plug contact 2 lies in the plane of the circuit board 1. The connection direction of the conductors 13 to the connection plug 10 is parallel to the plane of the circuit board 1 and to the longitudinal axis L of the plug contact 2_SAnd (4) extending. Overall, therefore, in this assembly, a connection of the conductor 13 to the connection plug 10 and also of the connection plug 10 to the circuit board 1 is effected horizontally with respect to the plane of the circuit board 1. Only a very small amount of installation space is required perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board 1.

Fig. 5 and 6 show two further embodiments of an assembly of a circuit board 1 and two plug contacts 2 in a state in which they have not yet been plugged together. The two plug contacts 2 are also part of a joining plug 10 which has a housing 11 with two conductor insertion openings 12 for two conductors 13. In fig. 5 and 6, a part of the housing 11 is omitted in each case, so that the arrangement of the plug contacts 2 in the housing 11 can be recognized. The plug contact 2 has a connecting region 14 and a connecting region 15, wherein the connecting region 15 is U-shaped and connects the two

contact arms

4, 5 to one another and to the connecting region 14.

In both embodiments, the connecting region 14 is designed as a crimp connection, so that the free end of the conductor 13 is first connected to the plug contact 2 before the plug contact 2 is introduced into the housing 11. The edge or the projection formed in the housing 11 ensures that the plug contact 2 is securely held therein after being introduced or pressed into the housing 11. In the exemplary embodiment according to fig. 5, the two

contact arms

4, 5 and the connecting region 14 are perpendicular to the insertion direction E or to the longitudinal axis L of the plug contact 2_SArranged one above the other, while the

contact arms

4, 5 and the joining region 14 are arranged one behind the other in the insertion direction E in the exemplary embodiment according to fig. 6. The joint plug 10 according to fig. 5 thus has a greater height, whereas the joint plug 10 according to fig. 6 has a greater length。

Claims

1. An assembly of a circuit board (1) and at least one plug contact (2), wherein at least one contact opening is formed in the circuit board (1), and wherein the at least one plug contact (2) is formed from a metallic flat material and has two contact arms (4;5) which are resilient relative to one another and each have a contact region (4a;5a) which, in the inserted state, makes contact with the contact opening, characterized in that the at least one contact opening is arranged in an edge region (1a) of the circuit board (1) and is formed as a recess (3) which is open on one side.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the longitudinal axis (L) of the plug contact (2)_S) In the inserted state, the circuit board (1) is in the plane and is aligned with the longitudinal axis (L) of the recess (3)_A) And (4) overlapping.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outer contour (6) of the two contact arms (4;5) in the contact region (4a;5a) is respectively configured in the longitudinal direction in the form of a circular arc.

4. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outer contour (6) of the two contact arms (4;5) in the contact region (4a;5a) is designed in each case in cross section in the shape of a circular arc.

5. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the recess (3) has an introduction region (7) and a contact region, wherein the width (B) of the introduction region (7)_E) Is larger than the width (B) of the contact area of the notch (3)_K)。

6. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner wall (9) of the recess (3) is provided with a metallization over its entire length.

7. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the plug contacts (2) is part of a junction plug (10) having a housing (11), wherein a number of conductor lead-in openings (12) corresponding to the number of plug contacts (2) is configured in the housing (11) for the introduction of a corresponding number of electrical conductors (13), and wherein at least one of the plug contacts (2) is arranged in the housing (11) such that at least the contact regions (4a;5a) of the contact arms (4;5) are freely accessible.

8. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the plug contacts (2) has a joining region (14) and a connection region (15), wherein the connection region (15) connects the two contact arms (4;5) to one another and to the joining region (14), and wherein the joining region (14) is designed for joining an electrical conductor (13).

9. The assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the joining region (14) of at least one of the plug contacts (2) is configured as a crimp joint.

10. Assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the connecting region of at least one plug contact (2) is designed as a flat current beam.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the current beam has a plurality of slots or recesses on one side.

12. Assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one of the plug contacts (2) is part of a joining plug (10) having a housing (11), wherein at least one clamping spring is arranged as a conductor joining element in the housing (11), wherein the clamping spring has a clamping limb and an abutting limb and the clamping limb forms a spring-loaded clamping connection for an electrical conductor (13) to be joined with a joining region of the plug contact (2).