EP2595249A1 - Connection terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The terminal (100) has a housing comprising two terminal contacts i.e. clamping contacts, for making electrical connection with electrical terminals and terminals (105) e.g. soldering pin, for making electrical connection to an outer side of the terminal arranged with an electronic assembly i.e. circuit board. The terminal contacts are connected with an electrical connection terminal on the electronic assembly. The electronic assembly comprises a contact surface, and the terminal contacts or terminals push the contact surface over a spring element. An independent claim is also included for a terminal printed circuit board arrangement.

Description

The invention relates to a terminal with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

Known terminals are passive electromechanical components. They are usually used to produce the electrical connection from an electrical connection, in particular a wire or cable, to an electronic module, in particular an electronic module in the form of a populated printed circuit board. Meanwhile, a variety of different variants of such terminals can be found on the market. On the one hand, a distinction is made between pluggable and soldered conductor terminals, depending on the type of connection that is made between the terminal and the circuit board. On the other hand, one differentiates, depending on the type of connection that takes place between the electrical connection and the terminal, between screw terminals, in which the electrical contact between these components is ensured by screwing, and spring terminals, in which the electrical contact is ensured by spring force. The size of the terminal is determined essentially by the size of the electrical connections.

A trend that has continuously shaped the further development of electronic devices in recent years is the desire for ever-increasing miniaturization. Since the electronic components of these devices are usually arranged on printed circuit boards, in order to advance the miniaturization, the size of the printed circuit board must be reduced. This leads to an increasingly dense assembly of printed circuit boards, each of which is limited by the maximum assembly density, which is technologically feasible.

The object of the invention is therefore to enable a further miniaturization of electronic devices. These objects are achieved by a terminal with the features of claim 1 and a terminal PCB assembly with the features of claim 11. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The terminal according to the invention has a housing, at least two terminal contacts for establishing an electrical connection with electrical connections and connection elements for establishing an electrical connection to an outside of the terminal arranged electronic module, which is not necessarily formed by a populated printed circuit board, however.

Essential to the invention is that the terminal itself contains an electronic module and that the terminal contacts are connected to the connection elements via the electronic module contained in the terminal.

The invention is based on the recognition that it is possible to use the available space in the terminal, which is determined by the size of the connections, for the arrangement of an electronic module in the terminal. This makes it possible to move a portion of the required for a desired function, interconnected electronic components, which were to arrange according to the prior art, all on the outside of the terminal arranged electronic module to the electronic assembly contained in the terminal or for an additional Function needed electronic components there to arrange. As a consequence, in both cases the electronic assembly located outside the terminal must contain fewer electronic components and can therefore be made more compact.

In particular, the terminal contacts may be formed as Schraubschraemmkontakte or as spring terminal contacts depending on the requirements of the particular application. Depending on the application, the connecting elements can be designed as a solder pin, socket element or contact spring.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the electronic assembly contained in the terminal has at least one contact surface and it is at least one terminal contact or at least one connection element via a spring element which acts on the contact surface, electrically connected to the electronic module contained in the terminal. This embodiment makes it possible to produce the electrical contact with the electronic module in a simple yet reliable manner. Furthermore, if all the contacts required by the electronic assembly are made in this way, on the one hand there is the possibility of replacing the electronic assembly contained in the terminal, while on the other hand, a standardization of the terminal takes place, so that is avoided, for each electronic module to which the Terminal is to be arranged, a separate mass production must be launched.

An independent invention can be seen in a terminal according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein at least two of the terminal contacts have a further contact area, which is resilient, so that at the terminal an additional electronic component, in particular a resistor, can be arranged, preferably between the two terminal contacts having the resilient contact area.

This makes it possible to terminate any component connected to the terminal with a corresponding electronic signal bus, for example when the electronic module contacted via the terminal is a transceiver circuit with associated signal bus and the additional electronic component is a resistor.

Obviously, the same advantages are also to be expected if the terminal itself also contains an electronic module and if the terminal contacts are connected via the electronic module contained in the terminal with the connection elements, so that a corresponding embodiment of the terminal according to claim 1 is advantageous. In particular, in this context, it should be pointed out the possibility that the electronic module contained in the terminal is a transceiver circuit with a signal bus assigned to it and the electronic component is a correspondingly adapted terminating resistor.

According to a further advantageous development of the connection terminals according to the invention it is provided that the terminal is surrounded by a shielding housing, which consists in particular of metal. This is particularly important in the type of terminals disclosed herein, because the provision of an electronic module as part of the terminal, the sensitivity to interference is significantly increased. Advantageously, the shielding is designed as a stamped and bent part, which can be slipped over the terminal in particular.

A terminal which is particularly advantageous from the standpoint of standardization provides an electronic subassembly in the form of a populated printed circuit board which is contained in the terminal.

In contrast, the alternative is particularly cost-effective, that the electronic assembly contained in the terminal is designed as populated stamped grid, wherein the populated stamped grid is preferably encapsulated. In a stamped grid as a basis for the electronic assembly, there is also the possibility that the terminal contacts and / or the connection elements are integrated in the stamped grid, which brings a further reduction in manufacturing costs. The punched grid can be stabilized during its processing by auxiliary webs, which are recessed in the encapsulation and then subsequently cut to prevent current flow through the lead frame, which does not meet the requirements of the electronic assembly.

A further cost savings can be achieved if the electronic module contained in the terminal forms part of the housing of the terminal. In particular, an overmolded populated stamped grid can be used as a wall or a bottom part of the housing.

The terminal board circuit board assembly according to the invention has an electronic module in the form of a printed circuit board and a connection terminal according to the invention electrically connected thereto. The advantages of the above-described developments of the terminal transferred directly to a terminal PCB assembly with a correspondingly designed circuit board.

Fig. 1:

Eine Außenansicht eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels einer Anschlussklemme, gesehen von schräg vorne;

Fig. 2:

eine Explosionsdarstellung der Anschlussklemme aus Figur 1, gesehen von schräg vorne;

Fig. 3:

eine rückseitige Ansicht des Gehäuseunterteils der Anschlussklemme aus Figur 1;

Fig. 4:

einen Querschnitt in einer zur Einführungsrichtung von Anschlussdrähten in die Anschlussklemme parallelen Ebene durch die Anschlussklemme aus Figur 1;

Fig. 5:

die Darstellung eines Klemmkontakts der Anschlussklemme aus Figur 1;

Fig. 6:

eine Außenansicht eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels einer Anschlussklemme, gesehen von schräg vorne;

Fig. 7:

einen Querschnitt in einer zur Einführungsrichtung von Anschlussdrähten in die Anschlussklemme parallelen Ebene durch die Anschlussklemme aus Figur 6;

Fig. 8:

eine Ansicht des Stanzgitters, das in der Anschlussklemme gemäß Figur 6 verwendet wird vor seiner Bestückung mit elektronischen Bauelementen;

Fig. 9:

das Stanzgitter aus Figur 8 nach seiner Bestückung mit elektronischen Bauelementen und einem Umformprozess;

Fig. 10:

das Stanzgitter aus Figur 9 nach seiner Umspritzung;

Fig. 11:

das Stanzgitter aus Figur 10 nach der Durchtrennung von Hilfsstegen; und

Fig. 12:

ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel der Anschlussklemme.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to figures showing embodiments of the invention. Show it:

Fig. 1:

An external view of a first embodiment of a terminal, seen from diagonally forward;

Fig. 2:

an exploded view of the terminal FIG. 1 , seen from diagonally forward;

3:

a rear view of the lower housing part of the terminal FIG. 1 ;

4:

a cross-section in a direction parallel to the direction of insertion of leads into the terminal level through the terminal FIG. 1 ;

Fig. 5:

the representation of a terminal contact of the terminal FIG. 1 ;

Fig. 6:

an external view of a second embodiment of a connection terminal, seen from obliquely in front;

Fig. 7:

a cross-section in a direction parallel to the direction of insertion of leads into the terminal level through the terminal FIG. 6 ;

Fig. 8:

a view of the stamped grid, in the terminal according to FIG. 6 is used before its assembly with electronic components;

Fig. 9:

the punched grid off FIG. 8 after its assembly with electronic components and a forming process;

Fig. 10:

the punched grid off FIG. 9 after its encapsulation;

Fig. 11:

the punched grid off FIG. 10 after the transection of auxiliary bars; and

Fig. 12:

a third embodiment of the terminal.

Identical components of the same embodiments of the terminal are indicated in all figures with the same reference numerals, unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, individual features, which are illustrated by means of various embodiments, can be combined freely, provided that they do not contradict each other.

That in the FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrated first embodiment of a terminal 100 has an upper housing part 101 and a lower housing part 102, which together form a housing.

The upper housing part 101 is, as particularly well in the exploded view of FIG. 2 can be seen from receiving openings 121 for clamping screws 106 and receiving openings 122 for the terminals 107 a, 107 b of an electrical component 107, which is designed as a resistor, passes through.

On the housing base 102, as in particular in the FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown, three wire insertion openings 103 provided by way of example, by which clamping body 104 can be seen, with which the not shown, to be introduced connecting wires are each clamped. The clamping body 104 are each part of contact elements, the example are designed as screw and accordingly, as is particularly good in the cross-sectional view according to FIG. 4 recognizes, as further components each have one of the clamping screws 106 and a clamping contact 115.

Again FIG. 5 can be seen, the clamping contact 115 at its one end a pair of spring legs 109, while at its other end a protruding contact spring 110 is arranged. As best seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 detects, the pair of spring legs 109 serves to contact the terminals 107a, 107b of the electronic component 107, the purpose of the contact spring 110 will be explained below.

The clamping contact 115, when a connecting wire, not shown, is inserted into the wire insertion opening 103, are clamped by actuation of the clamping screw 106 with the connecting wire, so that an electrical contact between the connecting wire and clamping contact 115 is ensured.

The lower housing part 102 further has a number of connection elements 105 in the form of connection pins, which serve for establishing an electrical connection to an electronic module, not shown, located outside the connection terminal 100.

The connection elements 105 furthermore each have a contact spring 114, which extends into the housing upper part 101 and housing lower part 102 housing.

In order to protect the connection elements 105 from bending, which could take place when the connection terminal 100 is tilted, pins 140 are furthermore arranged on the housing lower part 102. which can engage in corresponding recesses of the electronic assembly, not shown, outside of the terminal 100 arranged.

As especially good in the exploded view according to FIG. 2 can be seen, another component of the terminal 100 is an electronic assembly 130, which is configured as equipped with electronic components 112 and provided with contact surfaces 113 circuit board 111. The electronic assembly 130 may, as FIG. 3 shows particularly clearly, are inserted into two opposing, introduced into the housing part 102 grooves 141, so that the contact surfaces 113 of the electronic assembly 130 with the contact spring 110 of the terminal 115 and on the other hand with the contact spring 114 of the connection element 105 are electrically connected.

The electrical connection between the connecting wire, not shown, and the electronic assembly, which is not shown outside of the terminal 100, is thus effected via the electronic module 130 belonging to the connecting terminal 100.

That in the FIGS. 6 to 11 illustrated second embodiment of a terminal 200 with upper housing part 201, formed by the electronic module 202 housing lower part, wire insertion openings 203, clamping body 204, connecting elements 205, electronic component 206 with terminals 206a, 206b, clamping screws 207, contact legs 209, clamping contact 210, and electronic component 213 from the embodiment according to the FIGS. 1 to 5 in that the electronic module 202 belonging to the connection terminal, which at the same time forms the housing lower part, on a punched grid 208, as in FIG. 8 is shown, which is in particular encapsulated based.

The exact structure of the housing 202 forming the housing base 202 based on the leadframe 208 can best be understood by sequential description of its manufacture with reference to FIGS FIGS. 8 to 11 describe.

First, the punched grid 208 according to FIG. 8 punched out. It has connection elements 205 in the form of stamped connection pins, punched connection lines 211, which fulfill the function of the conductor tracks in a printed circuit board, and punched-out areas 212, from which the contact legs 209 and the clamping contact 210 are later formed. Furthermore, a connecting web 214 is shown by way of example, which serves to stabilize the stamped grid 208 during its production.

In FIG. 9 is the punched grid according to FIG. 8 shown after its assembly with electronic components 213, which are arranged according to the respectively necessary circuit layout of the electronic module to the connecting lines 211. However, since there are still connecting webs 214, the electronic assembly 202 is not functional and can not form a lower housing part due to lack of electrical insulation.

Furthermore, contact edges 209 and clamping contacts 210 have been produced by bending the punched-out areas 212 twice.

In FIG. 10 is the punched grid according to FIG. 9 After partial encapsulation with a plastic shown, which makes it to a Precursor of an electronic module 216 is, however, could already serve as a housing part. At the points where for a proper function of the electronic module 202 to be generated still connecting webs 214 are to be cut, a recess 217 is provided in the encapsulation in each case. Furthermore, the encapsulation is designed so that in particular the contact legs 209 and clamping contacts 210 and the connecting elements 205 protrude from the encapsulation and thus are still suitable for producing an electrical contact.

In FIG. 11 Finally, the connecting webs 214 to be severed have been severed through the recesses 217 so that the functionality of the electronic assembly 202 based on the stamped grid 208 is ensured and the housing lower part with integrated electronic module 202 that is used in the terminal 200 is produced.

The electrical connection between the connecting wire, not shown, and the electronic module, which is not shown outside the connecting terminal 200, is thus effected, as is particularly well the cross-sectional view according to FIG FIG. 7 takes over the overmolded electronic module 202, which also forms the lower housing part of the terminal 200 and thus is part of the terminal 200.

This in FIG. 12 illustrated third embodiment of a terminal 300 with wire insertion opening 303, clamp body 304, connection element 305 and designed as a resistor electronic component 306 differs from in the FIGS. 6 to 11 illustrated embodiment only by a shielding housing 318 with connection pins 319 is provided for shielding against any possible interference radiation.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100, 200, 300

terminal

101, 201

Housing top

102

Housing bottom

103, 203, 303

Wire insertion opening

104, 204, 304,

clamping bodies

105, 205, 305

connecting element

106, 207

clamping screw

107,206,306

electronic component

107a, 107b, 206a, 206b

connections

109

spring leg

110

contact spring

111

circuit board

112, 212

electronic component

113

contact area

114

contact spring

115

clamping contact

121, 122

receiving opening

130

electronic assembly

140

spigot

141

groove

202

electronic assembly, integral with housing base

208

lead frame

209

contact legs

210

clamping contact

211

connecting line

212

area

213

electronic component

214

connecting web

216

Precursor of the electronic module

217

recess

318

shield

319

connector pin

Claims (11)

A terminal (100, 200, 300) comprising a housing, at least two terminal contacts (115, 210) for making electrical connection to electrical terminals and terminal members (105, 205, 305) for making electrical connection to an electronic assembly external to the terminal (100, 200, 300)
characterized in that the terminal (100,200,300) includes an electronic assembly (130) and that the terminal contacts (115,210) via the electronic assembly (130,202) with connecting elements (105,205,305) are connected. Terminal (100) according to claim 1,
characterized in that the electronic assembly (130) contained in the connection terminal (100) has at least one contact surface (113) and that at least one clamping contact (115) or at least one connection element (105) is connected to the contact surface (113) via a spring element. pushes, is electrically connected to the electronic module (130) contained in the terminal (100). Terminal (100,200,300) according to claim 1 or the preamble of claim 1,
characterized in that at least two of the clamping contacts (115,210) have a further contact region (109,209) which is resilient, so that at the terminal (100,200,300) an additional electronic component (107,206,306), in particular a resistor, can be arranged. Terminal (300) according to one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the connection terminal (300) is surrounded by a shielding housing (318). Terminal (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that in the terminal (100) contained electronic assembly (130) is a populated printed circuit board (111). Terminal (200) according to one of claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that in the terminal (200) contained electronic assembly (202) is formed as populated stamped grid (208). Terminal (200) according to claim 6,
characterized in that the populated stamped grid (208) is encapsulated. Terminal (200) according to claim 6 or 7,
characterized in that the clamping contacts (210) and / or the connection elements (205) are integrated in the stamped grid (208). Connecting terminal (200) according to one of claims 6 to 9,
characterized in that the stamped grid (208) has severed connecting webs (214). Terminal (200) according to any preceding claim,
characterized in that the electronic assembly (202) contained in the terminal (200) forms part of the housing of the terminal (200). A terminal board assembly having an electronic package in the form of a printed circuit board and a terminal (100, 200, 300) electrically connected to the electronic package according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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