The present invention relates to a wire fixing device and a wire fixing method, and more particularly to a wire fixing device and a wire fixing method for fixing a wire on a printed circuit board and electrically connecting the wire with the printed circuit board. The present invention also relates to a circuit board assembly with the wire fixing device.
Electronic ballast is widely used in a lighting device for driving illumination of a light source of the lighting device. Generally, the electronic ballast comprises a casing and a circuit board assembly. The circuit board assembly is disposed in the casing and comprises a printed circuit board, a plurality of electronic components, and a plurality of wires. The electronic components are mounted on the printed circuit board. The wires are fixed on the printed circuit board. Through the wires, the circuit board assembly of the electronic ballast can be electrically connected with the lighting device.
In accordance with a conventional wire fixing method, a conducting terminal (i.e. a bare wire terminal) of the wire is directly inserted into a corresponding conductive hole of the printed circuit board, and then the wire and the printed circuit board are transferred through a reflow furnace together. Consequently, the wire is fixed on the printed circuit board via a soldering material. However, when the wire and the printed circuit board are transferred through the reflow furnace together, the wire is readily suffered from damage because of the high temperature. Under this circumstance, the resistance of the wire increases, and the tensile strength of the wire decreases. Since the wire is usually pulled by external forces and the wire is fixed on the printed circuit board only via the soldering material, the conducting terminal of the wire is easily broken or detached from the printed circuit board.
For solving the above drawbacks, a wire fixing method was disclosed in for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,655. The wire fixing method uses a barrel pin to fix the wire on the printed circuit board.
However, the conventional wire fixing method still has some drawbacks. For example, since two jigs are used to process the barrel pin 12, the conventional wire fixing method is complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive. In addition, the product yield is usually unsatisfied. Moreover, since the bottom end 12a of the barrel pin 12 is riveted to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 11 by the first jig, the soldering area on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board 11 should be large enough. Under this circumstance, the circuitry layout of the printed circuit board 11 is influenced.
Please refer to
Moreover, the barrel pin 12 has a neck structure 12d (see
Therefore, there is a need of providing a circuit board assembly, a wire fixing device and a wire fixing method in order to eliminate the above drawbacks.
The present invention provides a circuit board assembly, a wire fixing device and a wire fixing method. By the wire fixing device, a wire is fixed on and electrically connected with a printed circuit board. When the wire fixing device and the printed circuit board are transferred through a reflow furnace together, the solder-gushing phenomenon is minimized or avoided. Moreover, the soldering area on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board is reduced, so that the circuitry layout of the printed circuit board can be designed with more space. Moreover, the structural strength of the wire fixing device is enhanced, so that the possibility of causing fracture of the wire fixing device by the centralized stress is minimized. According to the present invention, the frequency of using the jig is reduced, the fabricating process is simplified, the fabricating cost is reduced, and the throughput and the yield are enhanced.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board assembly. The circuit board assembly includes a printed circuit board, a plurality of electronic components, at least one wire, and at least one wire fixing device. The printed circuit board has a first surface and a second surface. In addition, at least one conductive hole runs through the first surface and the second surface. The electronic components are disposed on the printed circuit board. The wire has a conducting terminal. The wire fixing device is fixed on the printed circuit board and electrically connected with the at least one wire. The wire fixing device includes a first conducting part, a second conducting part, and a tip part. The first conducting part has a first opening The first conducting part has a first outer diameter. The second conducting part is connected with the first conducting part. The second conducting part has a second outer diameter. The second outer diameter is smaller than the first outer diameter. The tip part is connected with the second conducting part. The tip part is a taper structure. An accommodation space is disposed within the first conducting part, the second conducting part and the tip part and in communication with the first opening for accommodating the conducting terminal of the wire. The first conducting part is disposed over the first surface of the printed circuit board. At least a portion of the second conducting part is disposed within the conductive hole of the printed circuit board. The tip part is disposed under the second surface of the printed circuit board. A soldering material is coated on a junction between the printed circuit board and the tip part and/or the second conducting part of the wire fixing device, so that the wire fixing device is fixed on the printed circuit board.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire fixing device. The wire fixing device is used for assisting in fixing a wire on a printed circuit board and electrically connecting the wire with the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board has a first surface and a second surface. In addition, at least one conductive hole runs through the first surface and the second surface. The wire has a conducting terminal. The wire fixing device includes a first conducting part, a second conducting part, and a tip part. The first conducting part has a first opening. The first conducting part has a first outer diameter. The second conducting part is connected with the first conducting part. The second conducting part has a second outer diameter. The second outer diameter is smaller than the first outer diameter. The tip part is connected with the second conducting part. The tip part is a taper structure. An accommodation space is disposed within the first conducting part, the second conducting part and the tip part and in communication with the first opening for accommodating the conducting terminal of the wire. The first conducting part is disposed over the first surface of the printed circuit board for fixing and connecting the conducting terminal of the wire. At least a portion of the second conducting part of the wire fixing device is snap-fitted or interference-fitted into the conductive hole of the printed circuit board. The tip part and/or the second conducting part are fixed on the second surface of the printed circuit board via a soldering material.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire fixing method. The wire fixing method includes the following steps. Firstly, a printed circuit board, at least one wire and a wire fixing device are provided. The printed circuit board has a first surface and a second surface, and at least one conductive hole runs through the first surface and the second surface. The wire has a conducting terminal. The wire fixing device includes a first conducting part with a first opening, a second conducting part connected with the first conducting part, and a tip part connected with the second conducting part. The first conducting part has a first outer diameter. The second conducting part has a second outer diameter. The second outer diameter is smaller than the first outer diameter. The tip part is a taper structure. An accommodation space is disposed within the first conducting part, the second conducting part and the tip part and in communication with the first opening. Then, the wire fixing device is inserted into the conductive hole of the printed circuit board. The first conducting part is disposed over the first surface of the printed circuit board. At least a portion of the second conducting part is disposed within the conductive hole of the printed circuit board. The tip part is disposed under the second surface of the printed circuit board. Then, a soldering material is coated on a junction between the printed circuit board and the tip part and/or the second conducting part of the wire fixing device, so that the wire fixing device is fixed on the printed circuit board. Then, the conducting terminal of the wire is introduced into the accommodation space of the wire fixing device through the first opening of the wire fixing device. Afterwards, at least one concave structure is formed in an external surface of the first conducting part of the wire fixing device, so that the conducting terminal of the wire is fixed on the wire fixing device and the wire is electrically connected with the printed circuit board through the wire fixing device.
The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
The wire fixing device 23 is made of a metallic conductive material. The wire fixing device 23 is fixed on the printed circuit board 21, and electrically connected with a corresponding wire 22. The wire fixing device 23 is used for assisting in fixing the wire 22 on the printed circuit board 21 and electrically connecting the wire 22 with the printed circuit board 21.
In this embodiment, the wire fixing device 23 comprises a first conducting part 231, a second conducting part 232, and a tip part 233. An accommodation space 234 is disposed within the first conducting part 231, the second conducting part 232 and the tip part 233 for accommodating the conducting terminal 221 of the wire 22. In particular, the accommodation space 234 runs through the first conducting part 231, the second conducting part 232 and the tip part 233, and the accommodation space 234 is used for accommodating the conducting terminal 221 of the wire 22. The first conducting part 231 has a first opening 235. The first opening 235 is in communication with the accommodation space 234. In addition, the first conducting part 231 has a first outer diameter D1.
The second conducting part 232 is connected with the first conducting part 231. In addition, the second conducting part 232 has a second outer diameter D2. The second outer diameter D2 is smaller than the first outer diameter D1. The tip part 233 is connected with the second conducting part 232. In addition, the tip part 233 is a taper structure. In other words, the outer diameter of the tip part 233 is gradually reduced from the junction between the tip part 233 and the second conducting part 232 to the free end of the tip part 233. When the wire fixing device 23 is fixed on the printed circuit board 21, the first conducting part 231 is disposed over the first surface 211 of the printed circuit board 21, at least a portion of the second conducting part 232 is snap-fitted or interference-fitted into the conductive hole 213 of the printed circuit board 21, and the tip part 233 is disposed under the second surface 212 of the printed circuit board 21. In case that a portion of the second conducting part 232 is protruded out of the conductive hole 213, a soldering material (not shown) is coated on the junction between the printed circuit board 21, the tip part 233 of the wire fixing device 23 and the second conducting part 232 of the wire fixing device 23. Whereas, in case that the second conducting part 232 is not protruded out of the conductive hole 213, the soldering material (not shown) is coated on the junction between the printed circuit board 21 and the tip part 233 of the wire fixing device 23. By means of the soldering material, the wire fixing device 23 is fixed on the printed circuit board 21.
In this embodiment, the first conducting part 231 and the second conducting part 232 are connected with each other through a connecting segment 236. For example, the connecting segment 236 is a ring-shaped structure with an external smooth curvy surface 236a. The external smooth curvy surface 236a of the connecting segment 236 is connected with the external surface of the first conducting part 231 and the external surface of the second conducting part 232. The outer diameter of the connecting segment 236 is gradually decreased from the junction between the connecting segment 236 and the first conducting part 231 to the junction between the connecting segment 236 and the second conducting part 232. Moreover, the outer diameter of the connecting segment 236 is in the range between the second outer diameter D2 and the first outer diameter D1.
After the wire fixing device 23 is inserted into the conductive hole 213 of the printed circuit board 21, the connecting segment 236 is in contact with the first surface 211 of the printed circuit board 21 and the periphery of the conductive hole 213. Consequently, the first conducting part 231 is stopped from being introduced into the conductive hole 213 of the printed circuit board 21. Moreover, since the connecting segment 236 has the external smooth curvy surface 236a or the external slant surface 236b, the structural strength of the wire fixing device 23 is enhanced, and the possibility of causing fracture of the wire fixing device 23 by the centralized stress is minimized.
In some embodiments, the tip part 233 has a second opening 237. The second opening 237 is opposed to the first opening 235. The second opening 237 is in communication with the accommodation space 234. The tip part 233 is a taper structure. Moreover, the second opening 237 is located at the free end of the tip part 233. Consequently, the second opening 237 is much smaller than the first opening 235 and the conductive hole 213. Consequently, the molten soldering material cannot be considerably or quickly introduced into the accommodation space 234 through the second opening 237. Under this circumstance, the solder-gushing phenomenon is minimized. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the free end of the tip part 233 is a close end without the second opening Since the molten soldering material cannot be introduced into the accommodation space 234, the solder-gushing phenomenon is avoided.
In some embodiments, the first conducting part 231, the connecting segment 236, the second conducting part 232 and the tip part 233 of the wire fixing device 23 are integrally formed with each other. In particular, the wire fixing device 23 is produced by extruding the metallic conductive material.
In some other embodiment, the wire fixing device 23 is previously tin-plated. That is, a tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the surface of the wire fixing device 23. Consequently, the electric conductivity thereof is enhanced, and the bonding efficacy of the soldering material on the wire fixing device 23 is increased. In other word, the tin-plating treatment is effective to facilitate fixing the wire fixing device 23 on the printed circuit board 21.
The printed circuit board 21 is a single-layered circuit board or a multilayered circuit board. In addition, the profile of the conductive hole 213 of the printed circuit board 21 may be varied according to the practical requirements.
Please refer to
Hereinafter, a wire fixing method of the present invention will be illustrated with reference to
Then, in the step S13, the printed circuit board 21, the electronic components 24 and the at least one wire fixing device 23 are transferred through a reflow furnace together. Consequently, a soldering material 25 is coated on the junction between the second surface 212 of the printed circuit board 21, the tip part 233 of the wire fixing device 23 and a portion of the second conducting part 232 of the wire fixing device 23, or the soldering material 25 is coated on the junction between the second surface 212 of the printed circuit board 21 and the tip part 233 of the wire fixing device 23. Under this circumstance, the wire fixing device 23 is fixed on and electrically connected with the printed circuit board 21 (see
In case that the tip part 233 has a second opening 237, the molten soldering material 25 cannot be considerably or quickly introduced into the accommodation space 234 through the second opening 237. Under this circumstance, the solder-gushing phenomenon is minimized. Moreover, since a small amount of the soldering material 25 is introduced into the accommodation space 234, the structural strength and the weight of the wire fixing device 23 are both increased. Consequently, the possibility of causing fracture of the wire fixing device by the external force is minimized.
Then, in the step S 14, the conducting terminal 221 (i.e. the bare wire terminal) of the wire 22 is introduced into the accommodation space 234 through the first opening 235 of the wire fixing device 23. Then, at least one concave structure 238 is formed in an external surface of the first conducting part 231 of the wire fixing device 23. The conducting terminal 221 of the wire 22 inside the wire fixing device 23 is in contact with and clamped by a bottom surface of the concave structure 238. Consequently, the wire 22 is fixed on and connected with the wire fixing device 23, and the wire 22 is electrically connected with the printed circuit board 21 through the wire fixing device 23. In some embodiments, the concave structures 238 are formed in the external surface of the first conducting part 231 of the wire fixing device 23. Consequently, plural positions of the conducting terminal 221 of the wire 22 inside the wire fixing device 23 are contacted with and clamped by the bottom surfaces of the concave structures 238 (see
From the above descriptions, the present invention provides a circuit board assembly, a wire fixing device and a wire fixing method. By the wire fixing device, a wire is fixed on and electrically connected with a printed circuit board. When the wire fixing device and the printed circuit board are transferred through a reflow furnace together, the solder-gushing phenomenon is minimized or avoided. Moreover, the soldering area on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board is reduced, so that the circuitry layout of the printed circuit board can be designed with more space. Moreover, the structural strength of the wire fixing device is enhanced, so that the possibility of causing fracture of the wire fixing device by the centralized stress is minimized. According to the present invention, the frequency of using the jig is reduced, the fabricating process is simplified, the fabricating cost is reduced, and the throughput and the yield are enhanced.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102137781 | Oct 2013 | TW | national |