Waterproof terminal structure and electronic device module
Granted 25 Sep 2018 · no office action yet
Assignee: Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Ltd.
Law firm: Law firm · Log in to unlock
Attorney: Attorney · Log in to unlock
Inventors: Akihiro Matsunaga, Seiya Matsuo · Examiner: Gary Paumen · AU 2833 · TC 2800
Life of the application
8 dated eventsAbstract
A waterproof terminal structure includes a contact having a spring contact point, and a terminal member that holds the contact, the terminal member including a contact connection portion having conductivity and connected to the contact, a seal portion tightly attached to an insulating waterproof member disposed at least along a circumference of an opening of a housing, and a substrate mount portion having conductivity and connected to a wiring portion of a substrate, the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion being electrically connected to each other and positioned such that a water entering path from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion is cut by the seal portion, the contact not penetrating the terminal member.
Description
11 parts›BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a waterproof terminal structure, particularly to a waterproof terminal structure including a contact having a spring contact point.
The present invention also relates to an electronic device module capable of preventing water from entering the inside of a housing.
A waterproof terminal structure that has a waterproof function despite the presence of an elastically-displaceable spring contact point is disclosed in, for instance, JP 2009-59586 A. The waterproof terminal structure includes movable contact point terminals 2 disposed in a housing 1 and elastic seal members 3 of diaphragm shape separately fixed to the movable contact point terminals 2 , as shown in FIG. 24 . The movable contact point terminals 2 each have a tubular body 4 and a movable pin 5 that is incorporated in the tubular body 4 to be movable therein along an axial direction. The movable pin 5 is disposed to project outward from the housing 1 through an opening 6 of the housing 1 .
A through-hole 7 is formed in the center of each elastic seal member 3 . With the movable pin 5 penetrating the through-hole 7 , the elastic seal member 3 and the movable pin 5 are tightly attached and fixed to each other, while the elastic seal member 3 is fitted in the opening 6 of the housing 1 such that the outer peripheral portion of the elastic seal member 3 is tightly attached and fixed to the opening 6 of the housing 1 . The elastic seal member 3 elastically deforms as following the movement of the movable pin 5 along the axial direction.
Having the elastic seal member 3 as above makes it possible to prevent water from entering the inside of the housing 1 while allowing the movement of the movable pin 5 that projects from inside to outside of the housing 1 through the opening 6 .
Since, however, the movable pin 5 of the movable contact point terminal 2 penetrates the through-hole 7 of the elastic seal member 3 in the waterproof terminal structure of JP 2009-59586 A, water may go through not only the interface between the outer peripheral portion of the elastic seal member 3 and the opening 6 of the housing 1 but also the interface between the through-hole 7 of the elastic seal member 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the movable pin 5 , and thus it is difficult to have an excellent waterproof function.
In addition, since the movable pin 5 of the movable contact point terminal 2 is movable along the axial direction, peel-off is likely to occur between the through-hole 7 of the elastic seal member 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the movable pin 5 , which may impair a waterproof function.
›SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is aimed at solving the conventional problems as above and providing a waterproof terminal structure having an excellent waterproof function despite the presence of a contact having a spring contact point.
The present invention is also aimed at providing an electronic device module having an excellent waterproof function.
A waterproof terminal structure according to the present invention includes a contact having a spring contact point, the waterproof terminal structure comprising:
a terminal member that holds the contact,
the terminal member including:
a contact connection portion having conductivity and connected to the contact; a seal portion tightly attached to an insulating waterproof member disposed at least along a circumference of an opening of a housing; and a substrate mount portion having conductivity and connected to a wiring portion of a substrate,
wherein the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion are electrically connected to each other and positioned such that a water entering path from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion is cut by the seal portion, and
wherein the contact does not penetrate the terminal member.
An electronic device module comprises:
a housing having an opening;
an insulating waterproof member disposed at least along a circumference of the opening of the housing;
a substrate disposed in the housing and having on its surface a wiring portion;
a terminal member fixed to the substrate; and
a contact having a spring contact point and held in the terminal member, without penetrating the terminal member, such that the spring contact point is exposed through the opening of the housing,
the terminal member including:
a contact connection portion having conductivity and connected to the contact; a seal portion tightly attached to the insulating waterproof member; and a substrate mount portion having conductivity and connected to the wiring portion of the substrate,
wherein the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion are electrically connected to each other, and a water entering path from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion is cut by the seal portion, and
wherein water is prevented from entering an inside of the housing by tightly attaching the seal portion of the terminal member to the insulating waterproof member.
›BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a terminal member used in the waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from obliquely above.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a contact used in the waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from obliquely above.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the contact used in the waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from obliquely below.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the terminal member in which the contact is incorporated in Embodiment 1 as viewed from obliquely above.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the terminal member in which the contact is incorporated in Embodiment 1 as viewed from obliquely below.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the terminal member in which the contact is incorporated in Embodiment 1.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an electronic device module according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from obliquely above.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from obliquely below.
FIG. 10 is a front view showing the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 11 .
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a substrate used in the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from obliquely above.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the substrate on which a plurality of terminal members each having a contact incorporated therein are mounted.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a housing used in the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2 as viewed from obliquely below.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the electronic device module according to Embodiment 2 and a garment-side connector in a non-fitted state.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a contact used in a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 3.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a terminal member used in the waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 3.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the terminal member in which a contact is incorporated in Embodiment 3.
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 4.
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 5.
FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a waterproof terminal structure according to a modification of Embodiment 5.
FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 6.
FIG. 24 is a partially broken perspective view showing a conventional waterproof terminal structure.
›DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention are described below based on the appended drawings.
›Embodiment 1 · 1 of 2
FIG. 1 shows a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 1. The waterproof terminal structure has a structure in which a terminal member 13 is fixed to a substrate 12 disposed in a housing 11 and a contact 14 is held in the terminal member 13 .
The housing 11 has an opening 11 A, and a sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 is disposed on an inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 that faces inward of the housing 11 , along the circumference of the opening 11 A so as to surround the opening 11 A.
The substrate 12 lies parallel to the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 , and the terminal member 13 is disposed between a surface 12 A of the substrate 12 and the waterproof member 15 .
For convenience, the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 is defined as extending along an XY plane, and the direction from the surface 12 A of the substrate 12 toward the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 that is perpendicular to the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 is called “+Z direction.”
As shown in FIG. 2 , the terminal member 13 includes a contact accommodation portion 13 A dented in a recess shape, has a box shape that opens upward in the +Z direction, that is, a so-called bathtub shape, and is formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal. The contact accommodation portion 13 A does not have any through-hole in its bottom surface 13 B and side surfaces 13 C and opens at its top.
The terminal member 13 also includes a flange 13 D that lies along the circumference of the contact accommodation portion 13 A and overhangs from the edge of the contact accommodation portion 13 A to extend in an XY plane in parallel to the bottom surface 13 B.
The bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A facing in the +Z direction forms a contact connection portion having conductivity, and the surface of the flange 13 D facing in the +Z direction forms a seal portion of the terminal member 13 .
The contact 14 is to be accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 . The contact 14 is formed from a bent metal sheet, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , includes a base portion 14 A having a flat portion extending along an XY plane, an arm portion 14 B extending, as bending, from the +Y directional edge of the base portion 14 A to the −Z directional side of the base portion 14 A, and a pair of contact point portions (spring contact points) 14 C disposed at tips of the arm portion 14 B and facing each other in the X direction.
The base portion 14 A has an opening 14 D that is located on the −Y directional side so as to correspond to the opening 11 A of the housing 11 . The arm portion 14 B includes a pair of flexible deformation portions 14 E branching in the +X and −X directions to hold the corresponding contact point portions 14 C, and the pair of contact point portions 14 C are configured to be elastically displaceable in the X direction.
The contact 14 further includes three terminal member connection portions 14 F located in the same XY plane.
As shown in FIG. 5 , the contact 14 is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 . At this time, the contact 14 is disposed such that the three terminal member connection portions 14 F of the contact 14 are connected to the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 and the base portion 14 A of the contact 14 is exposed at the opening top of the contact accommodation portion 13 A so as to face in the +Z direction.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the three terminal member connection portions 14 F of the contact 14 are welded to the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 from the side of an outer surface 13 E, facing in the −Z direction, of the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 by, with laser beams, irradiating welding sites 13 F defined on the outer surface 13 E in positions corresponding to the three terminal member connection portions 14 F of the contact 14 . Thus the contact 14 is electrically connected to the bottom surface 13 B of the terminal member 13 that forms the contact connection portion.
As shown in FIG. 7 , the pair of contact point portions 14 C of the contact 14 are exposed through the opening 14 D of the base portion 14 A when viewed from the +Z direction.
The outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A facing in the −Z direction forms a substrate mount portion having conductivity, and as shown in FIG. 1 , the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A is soldered to a wiring portion (not shown) on the surface 12 A of the substrate 12 .
In other words, the sheet constituting the terminal member 13 has a pair of surfaces facing in the opposite directions; and the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A that is constituted of, of the pair of surfaces, one surface forms the contact connection portion having conductivity, while the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A that is constituted of the other surface forms the substrate mount portion having conductivity.
Since the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the contact connection portion and the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the substrate mount portion are electrically connected to each other via the inside of the conductive sheet constituting the terminal member 13 , the contact 14 fixed to the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A is electrically connected to the wiring portion of the substrate 12 via the terminal member 13 accordingly.
The substrate 12 is disposed in the housing 11 such that the surface of the flange 13 D of the terminal member 13 that faces in the +Z direction and forms the seal portion is pressed against and tightly attached to the sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 disposed on the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 . The bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the contact connection portion and the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the substrate mount portion are positioned such that paths through which water may enter, i.e., water entering paths are all cut by the surface of the flange 13 D forming the seal portion. In other words, water cannot go from the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A to the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A along any surface of the sheet constituting the terminal member 13 without passing the surface of the flange 13 D.
›Embodiment 1 · 2 of 2
The surface of the flange 13 D of the terminal member 13 is tightly attached to the waterproof member 15 and therefore, even when water goes from the outside of the housing 11 into the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 through the opening 11 A, water is blocked by the terminal member 13 and thus prevented from reaching the substrate 12 located more inward than the terminal member 13 in the housing 11 .
Since the contact 14 does not penetrate the terminal member 13 , only the interface between the flange 13 D of the terminal member 13 and the waterproof member 15 may provide a route allowing water to enter the inside of the housing 11 , and blocking this route leads to an excellent waterproof function.
When a contact (non-spring contact point) of, for instance, pin shape of a counter connector (not shown) is inserted into the waterproof terminal structure shown in FIG. 1 through the opening 11 A of the housing 11 from the +Z direction toward the −Z direction, the contact of the counter connector goes in the −Z direction while elastically deforming the pair of flexible deformation portions 14 E such that the distance between the pair of contact point portions 14 C of the contact 14 increases in the X direction, and then comes into contact with the pair of contact point portions 14 C of the contact 14 at a predetermined contact pressure. As a result, the contact of the counter connector is electrically connected to the wiring portion (not shown) of the substrate 12 via the contact 14 and the terminal member 13 .
›Embodiment 2
An electronic device module M according to Embodiment 2 is shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 . The electronic device module M includes a housing 11 made of an insulating material such as an insulating resin, a substrate 12 disposed in the housing 11 , and four contacts 14 fixed to the substrate 12 .
The housing 11 has a raised portion 11 C of substantially rectangular shape that projects in the Z direction perpendicular to the substrate 12 so as to extend away from the substrate 12 , and the raised portion 11 C has four openings 11 A corresponding to the four contacts 14 . As shown in FIG. 11 , pairs of contact point portions 14 C of the four contacts 14 are exposed through the corresponding openings 11 A of the housing 11 .
Corresponding to the four contacts 14 , four waterproof terminal structures each identical to the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 are provided in the housing 11 , as shown in FIG. 12 .
That is, each contact 14 is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the corresponding terminal member 13 having a so-called bathtub shape, and the terminal member connection portions 14 F of each contact 14 are welded to the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the corresponding terminal member 13 . The outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A of each terminal member 13 is soldered to a wiring portion (not shown) on a surface 12 A of the substrate 12 , and the surface of the flange 13 D of each terminal member 13 is tightly attached to the sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 disposed on the inner surface 11 B of the raised portion 11 C of the housing 11 .
In each of the terminal members 13 in the four waterproof terminal structures, the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the contact connection portion and the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A forming the substrate mount portion are positioned such that water entering paths are all cut by the surface of the flange 13 D forming the seal portion. As a result, even when water goes from the outside of the housing 11 into any of the contact accommodation portions 13 A of the terminal members 13 through the four openings 11 A, water is blocked by the terminal members 13 and thus prevented from reaching the substrate 12 located more inward than the terminal members 13 in the housing 11 .
The electronic device module M as above can be manufactured in the following manner, for example. The four terminal members 13 each having the contact 14 fixed thereto by welding as shown in FIG. 5 are soldered to corresponding wiring portions 12 B arranged on the surface 12 A of the substrate 12 as shown in FIG. 13 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 14 , the four contacts 14 are arranged two by two in two lines in an XY plane along the surface 12 A of the substrate 12 such that each two contacts 14 adjacent to each other in the X direction are oppositely oriented in the Y direction, with the same applying to each two contacts 14 adjacent to each other in the Y direction. As thus arranged, the openings 14 D of the four contacts 14 are located to have rotational asymmetry with respect to the Z axis perpendicular to the surface 12 A of the substrate 12 , more specifically, at the four vertexes of an isosceles trapezoid.
Next, the housing 11 shown in FIG. 15 is put on the substrate 12 , and the substrate 12 is fixed to the housing 11 . At this time, the housing 11 is disposed on the substrate 12 such that the four terminal members 13 are accommodated in the raised portion 11 C of the housing 11 and the four openings 11 A of the housing 11 are located immediately above the openings 14 D of the four contacts 14 . The substrate 12 is fixed to the housing 11 such that the surfaces of the flanges 13 D of the four terminal members 13 are tightly attached to the sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 disposed on the inner surface 11 B of the raised portion 11 C of the housing 11 .
The electronic device module M thus manufactured is fitted with a counter connector C shown in FIG. 16 , whereby the electronic device module M and the counter connector C are connected to each other.
The counter connector C shown in FIG. 16 includes a housing 21 made of an insulating material such as an insulating resin, and the housing 21 is provided with a recess portion 21 C having a shape conforming to the raised portion 11 C of the housing 11 . The counter connector C further includes four pin-shaped contacts (non-spring contact points) 24 projecting in the −Z direction in the recess portion 21 C of the housing 21 . The four contacts 24 are located in positions corresponding to the openings 14 D of the four contacts 14 of the electronic device module M.
When the counter connector C and the electronic device module M as above are fitted to each other, the four contacts 24 of the counter connector C separately come into contact with the pairs of contact point portions 14 C of the corresponding contacts 14 of the electronic device module M, whereby the contacts 24 are electrically connected to the corresponding contacts 14 .
When the counter connector C is configured as a garment-side connector to be attached to a garment, the electric device module M can be used as a wearable device to be connected to the garment-side connector.
›Embodiment 3
While the contact 14 used in Embodiment 1 includes the pair of contact point portions 14 C that are elastically displaceable in the X direction parallel to the base portion 14 A extending along an XY plane, the invention is not limited thereto.
FIG. 17 shows a contact 34 used in a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 3. The contact 34 includes a base portion 34 A extending along an XY plane and a single contact point portion 34 C disposed at the tip of an arm portion 34 B extending from the base portion 34 A. The contact point portion 34 C is configured to be elastically displaceable in the Z direction perpendicular to an XY plane.
The contact 34 is, in use, accommodated in a contact accommodation portion 33 A of a terminal member 33 that has a so-called bathtub shape as shown in FIG. 18 and is formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal. The contact 34 is incorporated in the terminal member 33 as shown in FIG. 19 by, for instance, welding the base portion 34 A of the contact 34 to a bottom surface 33 B of the contact accommodation portion 33 A of the terminal member 33 .
An outer surface of the contact accommodation portion 33 A of the terminal member 33 is soldered to a wiring portion of the substrate 12 , and a flange 33 D formed along the circumference of the contact accommodation portion 33 A of the terminal member 33 is tightly attached to the sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 disposed on the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 , thereby achieving the waterproof terminal structure having an excellent waterproof function, as with the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 .
Since the contact point portion 34 C of the contact 34 is elastically displaceable in the Z direction, it is preferable for a contact of a counter connector to have a contact point portion (non-spring contact point) extending along an XY plane. In a fitting process, the contact point portion of the contact of the counter connector comes into contact with the contact point portion 34 C of the contact 34 at a predetermined contact pressure in the Z direction, and consequently the contact of the counter connector is electrically connected to the wiring portion (not shown) of the substrate 12 via the contact 34 and the terminal member 33 .
›Embodiment 4
While in the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the contact 14 is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 13 A of the terminal member 13 in a so-called bathtub shape, the invention is not limited thereto.
FIG. 20 schematically shows a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 4. A housing 41 includes a recess-shaped contact accommodation portion 41 A and an opening 41 B formed in the bottom of the contact accommodation portion 41 A, and a terminal member 51 of flat plate shape is tightly attached to an insulating waterproof member 61 disposed to surround the opening 41 B of the housing 41 .
The terminal member 51 is formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal. Of a pair of surfaces of the sheet that face in the opposite directions, one surface 51 A forms a contact connection portion having conductivity, while the other surface 51 B forms a substrate mount portion having conductivity. The peripheral edge of the surface 51 A forms a seal portion tightly attached to the waterproof member 61 . A contact 71 having a spring contact point is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 41 A of the housing 41 and electrically connected to the surface 51 A of the terminal member 51 through the opening 41 B of the housing 41 . The surface 51 B of the terminal member 51 is electrically connected to a wiring portion 81 A of a substrate 81 .
Even with the configuration as above, the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion of the terminal member 51 are electrically connected to each other and positioned such that water entering paths from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion are all cut by the seal portion, thereby preventing water from entering the inside of the housing 41 .
›Embodiment 5
In the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the bottom surface 13 B of the contact accommodation portion 13 A that is constituted of one of the pair of surfaces of the sheet forming the terminal member 13 forms the contact connection portion having conductivity, while the outer surface 13 E of the contact accommodation portion 13 A that is constituted of the other of the pair forms the substrate mount portion having conductivity; however, the invention is not limited thereto.
FIG. 21 schematically shows a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 5. A terminal member 52 is formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal and has a bathtub shape in which a contact accommodation portion 52 A is formed. An opening 52 B is formed in the terminal member 52 , and a contact 72 having a spring contact point is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 52 A through the opening 52 B.
Of a pair of surfaces of the sheet forming the terminal member 52 that face in the opposite directions, one surface 52 C which is the outer surface of a box shape forms both a contact connection portion having conductivity and a substrate mount portion having conductivity. The contact connection portion is formed at the inner peripheral edge of the opening 52 B, and the contact 72 is electrically connected to this contact connection portion. The substrate mount portion is formed at the outer surface of the bottom of the contact accommodation portion 52 A and electrically connected to a wiring portion 82 A of a substrate 82 .
Of the surface 52 C of the terminal member 52 , a region surrounding the opening 52 B forms a seal portion tightly attached to a waterproof member 62 , whereby water entering paths from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion are all cut by the seal portion.
In this manner, even with the configuration in which the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion of the terminal member 52 are formed at the same surface 52 C, the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion are electrically connected to each other, while water entering paths from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion are all cut by the seal portion. Thus, water can be prevented from entering the inside of the housing 42 by tightly attaching the seal portion of the terminal member 52 to the waterproof member 62 .
In Embodiment 5, since the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion of the terminal member 52 are formed at the same surface 52 C, the terminal member 52 formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal may be replaced by a terminal member 53 formed from a sheet including a terminal member body 53 A made of an insulating material such as an insulating resin and a conductive layer 53 B formed on a surface of the terminal member body 53 A as shown in FIG. 22 . The sheet is used with the conductive layer 53 B being located on the outer side of the box shape, and the conductive layer 53 B forms the contact connection portion and the substrate mount portion. In other words, the conductive layer 53 B is electrically connected with the contact 72 and electrically connected with the wiring portion 82 A of the substrate 82 .
Even with this configuration, a waterproof function can be achieved as with the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 5 shown in FIG. 21 . The terminal member 53 can be easily manufactured by, for example, shaping insulating resin to produce the terminal member body 53 A and coating a conductive material on the surface of the terminal member body 53 A.
›Embodiment 6
In the waterproof terminal structure of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate 12 is disposed in the housing 11 such that the flange 13 D of the terminal member 13 is pressed against and tightly attached to the sheet type, insulating waterproof member 15 disposed on the inner surface 11 B of the housing 11 ; however, the invention is not limited thereto.
FIG. 23 schematically shows a waterproof terminal structure according to Embodiment 6. A terminal member 54 is formed from a sheet made of a conductive material such as metal and has a bathtub shape in which a contact accommodation portion 54 A is formed. An opening 54 B is formed in the terminal member 54 , and a contact 74 having a spring contact point is accommodated in the contact accommodation portion 54 A through the opening 54 B.
The outer peripheral edge of the opening 54 B of the terminal member 54 forms a seal portion located along the inner periphery of an opening 44 A of a housing 44 . At the inner peripheral portion of the opening 44 A of the housing 44 , an insulating waterproof member 64 is disposed along the circumference of the opening 44 A. The seal portion of the terminal member 54 can be tightly attached to the waterproof member 64 by, for instance, pressing the terminal member 54 into the inside of the waterproof member 64 .
Of a pair of surfaces of a sheet forming the terminal member 54 that face in the opposite directions, one surface 54 C forms a contact connection portion having conductivity, while the other surface 54 D forms a substrate mount portion having conductivity. The surface 54 C is electrically connected with the contact 74 , and the surface 54 D is electrically connected with a wiring portion 84 A of a substrate 84 .
In this manner, even with the configuration in which the seal portion of the terminal member 54 is tightly attached to the waterproof member 64 disposed at the inner peripheral portion of the opening 44 A of the housing 44 , the contact connection portion formed at the surface 54 C of the terminal member 54 and the substrate mount portion formed at the surface 54 D of the terminal member 54 are electrically connected to each other, while water entering paths from the contact connection portion toward the substrate mount portion are all cut by the seal portion, thereby preventing water from entering the inside of the housing 44 .
Claims as granted
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5 codes- H01R13/648
- H01R12/57
- H01R13/11
- H01R13/52
- H01R33/965
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