Abstract:
A packaging board of the type having board terminals soldered on a printed board and including an insulation support member made of a resin disposed on a printed board having tubular support portions configured to receive board terminals, visual recognition windows configured for visually recognizing soldering portions of the board terminals inserted into the printed board through the windows, and engaging portions that engage the board terminals and define insertion amounts of the board terminals.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to JP 2010-278454 filed in Japan on Dec. 14, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to a packaging board in which board terminals are soldered on a printed board. 
         [0003]    Heretofore, a packaging board has been used as an internal circuit in an electrical junction box for a motor vehicle or the like. The packaging board has been a structure in which board terminals to be connected to electrical components such as fuses, connectors, and the like soldered on a printed board, as disclosed in, for example, JP 2003-217437A. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In many cases, a plurality of board terminals may be soldered on the printed board. Since it takes great time and effort to individually insert the board terminals into through holes in the printed board, a plurality of board terminals may be inserted into a jig that temporarily fixes the board terminals for insertion together through holes in the printed board. After insertion, the board terminals may then be soldered on the printed board. 
         [0005]    However, because such structure requires a jig in compliance with a packaging board, this can result in increased cost and complexity in production. In particular, it is inefficient to prepare a jig for an application involving only a few board terminals. 
         [0006]    In such an application, it may be possible to provide a pedestal to hold the few board terminals together for insertion through the printed board. The use of a pedestal, however, requires free space around the pedestal in order to provide access to the soldering portions of the board terminals, which can reduce the density of the printed board. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, in an exemplary, embodiment, a packaging board is provided herein configured to solder board terminals on a printed board without requiring a jig, without visually obstructing the soldering portions of the board terminals, and while achieving a high board terminal density. 
         [0008]    In an exemplary embodiment, a packaging board may include board terminals soldered on a printed board. In the packaging board, an insulation support member made of a resin may be disposed on a printed board. The insulation support member may be provided with tubular support portions having visual recognition windows, wherein the tubular support portions receive the board terminals. The tubular support portions may be provided with engaging portions that engage the board terminals to control the amount of insertion of the board terminals. Soldering portions of the board terminals inserted into the printed board can thus be recognized visually through the visual recognition windows. 
         [0009]    According to the exemplary embodiment of the packaging board, when the board terminals are soldered on the printed board, the board terminals can be inserted into the tubular support portions on the insulation support member, and the engaging portions in the tubular support portions may lock the board terminals. Thus, the board terminals can be supported on the insulation support member. The insulation support member can support the plurality of board terminals, and the board terminals can be inserted into and soldered in the through-holes in the printed board. Thus, a jig is not needed. Since the insulation support member can be made of a resin, the insulation support member can be easily produced and works in compliance with a circuit configuration, in contrast to a metal jig, thereby lowering production costs. Since the insulation support member can be separated from the board terminals, it is possible to produce the insulation support member with a low cost, in comparison with an insert-molding process. In particular, in applications including a small number of board terminals to be soldered on a printed board, excellent efficiency and low cost can be achieved in some aspects, in comparison with preparing a jig or the like. Furthermore, the use of a jig requires that the jig be removed from the printed board after attaching the board terminals to the printed board. In contrast, with the packaging board provided herein, it may not be necessary to remove the insulation support member from the printed board after attaching the board terminals to the printed board, thereby reducing the number of soldering steps. 
         [0010]    Furthermore, the insulation support member may be provided with visual recognition windows. Thus, the soldering portions of the board terminals can be recognized through the visual recognition windows. Thus, visual inspection of the soldering portions can be achieved. Because the visual recognition of the soldering portions can be achieved through the visual recognition windows, it may not be necessary to obtain a space around the insulation support member, and thus it is possible to arrange other electrical components near the insulation support member, thereby increasing the density on the printed board. 
         [0011]    According to another aspect, the tubular support portions may extend toward the printed board. Each of the tubular support portions may be provided with a recess in an end at a side of the printed board. The soldering portions of each of the board terminals may be exposed through the recess. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect, in a case where any pressing force may be applied to the insulation support member at a side of the printed board by direct or indirect contact of the electrical components to be connected to the board terminals, the insulation support member can be supported by the tubular support portions because the tubular support portions make contact with the printed board. Thus, it is possible to prevent the insulation support member from being deformed and to reduce an inclination of the board terminals due to the deformation of the insulation support member. Although the insulation support member may contact the printed board, the insulation support member may contact the printed board when the insulation support member is pushed onto the printed board. Since the recess can be provided in each tubular support portion, visual recognition of the soldering portions of the board terminals can be obtained even though the tubular support portion extends to the printed board. 
         [0013]    According to yet another aspect, a support member that supports a conductive member different from the board terminals on the printed board may constitute the insulation support member. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect, the conductive member may be a member that can flow a current, for example, a board terminal or the like to be connected to a bus bar, a connector, or a fuse, for example. The support member that supports the conductive member may be an insulation plate that supports the bus bar or a resin-made pedestal that supports the board terminals. Since the insulation support member can be used as the support member that supports the conductive member, any jig may be used without increasing part count. Consequently, it may be possible to further decrease costs. For example, in the case where an insulation plate that supports the bus bar is used as the insulation support plate, since the insulation support member is disposed above the soldering portions of the board terminals inserted into the tubular support portions, the bus bar can be disposed above the soldering portions, thereby further enhancing a high density on the printed board. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect, the tubular support portions formed on the insulation support member may be made of a resin, the board terminals may be inserted into the tubular support portions, and the engaging portions in the tubular support portions may define insertion amounts of the board terminals. The visual recognition windows may be formed in the insulation support member and the soldering portions of the board terminals can be visually recognized through the visual recognition windows. Thus, the board terminals can be inserted into the tubular support portions and can be supported by the insulation support member. When the board terminals are soldered on the printed board, it is possible to temporarily secure the plurality of board terminals to the printed board without requiring a jig. Consequently, it is possible to lower production costs. In contrast to a board in which the jig is required to be removed from the printed board after soldering, the insulation support member can remain on the printed board after soldering. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of soldering steps. Furthermore, because the soldering portions can be visually recognized through the visual recognition windows, it may not be necessary to provide a space for visual recognition around the soldering portions. Since the electrical components can be arranged near the insulation support member, density on the printed board can be increased. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a main part of a packaging board in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the main part shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a main part of an insulation plate shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the main part of the insulation plate shown in  FIG. 3 , illustrating a rear side of the insulation plate; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a section view of the insulation plate taken along lines V-V in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a section view of the insulation plate taken along lines VI-VI in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a main part of a packaging board in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a section view of the packaging board taken along lines VIII-VIII in  FIG. 7 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a section view of the packaging board taken along lines IX-IX in  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    Referring now to the drawings, exemplary embodiments of a packaging board are described below. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a main part of a packaging board  10 .  FIG. 2  shows an enlarged perspective view of the main part in  FIG. 1 . The packaging board  10  is contained in a casing of an electrical junction box or a so-called junction box to be mounted on a motor vehicle or the like to constitute an internal circuit. The packaging board  10  includes a printed board  12  and a plurality of board terminals  14  projecting from the printed board  12 . The board terminals  14  are inserted into an insulation plate  16  that is disposed on the printed board  12  to serve as a support member. The board terminals  14  are opposed to terminals  20  provided on a bus bar  18  that is disposed on the insulation plate  16  to serve as a conductive member. The board terminals  14  and the terminals  20  may constitute a plurality of fusible links. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  shows a main part of a front side  26  of the insulation plate  16 .  FIG. 4  shows a main part of a rear side of the insulation plate  16 . In  FIG. 3 , a single board terminal  14  is inserted into a terminal-receiving hole  32  (e.g., an upper left terminal-receiving hole  32  in  FIG. 3 ) in a single tubular support portion  30  (discussed below). The insulation plate  16  is formed into a substantially plate-like configuration made of a nonconductive synthetic resin, and is disposed on the printed board  12  through leg portions  24  projecting from suitable positions on the printed board  12 . A bus bar  18  (see, for example,  FIG. 1 ) may be disposed on the insulation plate  16 . 
         [0028]    A plurality of tubular support portions  30  (e.g., four portions  30 ) are integrated with a rear side of the insulation plate  16 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , each of the tubular support portions  30  may be formed into a substantially longitudinal rectangular tubular configuration that projects from the rear side  28  to the printed board  12 . A dimension of the support tubular portion projecting from the rear side  28  may be set to be substantially equal to a dimension of the leg portion  24  projecting from the rear side  28 . An internal space in the tubular support portion  30  may define a terminal-receiving hole  32  that penetrates the insulation plate  16 . The terminal-receiving hole  32  may be formed into a through-hole having a substantially rectangular shape in cross section. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a width dimension of the terminal-receiving hole  32  in its short side direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 5 ) may be substantially constant in a depth direction (i.e., upper and lower directions in  FIG. 5 ) of the hole  32 . On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the terminal-receiving hole  32  may be provided on an intermediate part in a longitudinal direction (i.e., upper and lower directions in  FIG. 6 ) with engaging portions  34 ,  34  that define stepped surfaces. A width dimension of the terminal-receiving hole  32  in a long side direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 6 ) may be set so that the dimension at a side of the printed board  12  is greater than that at a side of the engaging portions  34 ,  34 , thus defining a stepped configuration. It is apparent from  FIG. 5  that a width dimension in a short side direction of the terminal-receiving hole  32  may be greater than a dimension in thickness of the board terminal  14 . It is apparent from  FIG. 6  that a width dimension in the long side direction of the terminal-receiving hole  32  may be set to be slightly greater than a width dimension of the board terminal  14 . 
         [0029]    Each tubular support portion  30  is provided with a recess  36  (see  FIG. 4 ) in a distal end projecting from the rear side of the insulation plate  16 . In an exemplary embodiment, the recess  36  is provided in one of long side portions of the tubular support portion  30  having a substantially rectangular shape. An amount of the long side portion that may be provided with the recess  36  that projects from the rear side  28  may be set to be slightly smaller than amounts of the other three side portions that project from the rear side  28 . The tubular support portion  30  may be provided on each distal end projecting from the rear side  28  with a tapered shape in which an opening size becomes gradually greater toward a projecting end edge (see, for example,  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The tapered shape may serve to guide the board terminal  14  into the terminal-receiving hole  32  so that the board terminal  14  can be readily inserted into the hole  32 . 
         [0030]    The insulation plate  16  may be provided with visual recognition windows  38  (see, for example,  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) that may be disposed adjacent the respective tubular support portions  30 . Each visual recognition window  38  may be formed into a substantially rectangular shape that may have substantially the same dimension in a short side portion as the dimension in the long side portion (i.e., upper and lower directions in  FIG. 3 ) of the terminal-receiving hole  32 . The visual recognition window  38  may penetrate the insulation plate  16 . The visual recognition window  38  may be disposed adjacent the tubular support portion  30  at the side provided with the recess  36 . 
         [0031]    The insulation plate  16  may be provided on its front side  26  with an outer peripheral projection  40  (see, for example,  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) that may be formed into a rectangular frame-like configuration to surround outer peripheral edges of the terminal-receiving hole  32  and visual recognition window  38  together and projects slightly outward from the front side  26 . Thus, the opening end side edges of the terminal-receiving hole  32  and visual recognition window  38  at the front side  26  may be disposed on slightly upper positions (i.e., upper positions in  FIG. 5 ) than the front side  26 . The outer peripheral projection  40  can serve to prevent a short circuit between the bus bar  18  and the board terminal  14  inserted into the terminal-receiving hole  32 . 
         [0032]    The insulation plate  16  may be provided on its front side  26  with positioning projections  42  near the terminal-receiving holes  32 . Each positioning projection  42  may be disposed on a side opposite from the visual recognition window  38  across the terminal-receiving hole  32 . Each positioning projection  42  may project from the front side  26  by the same projecting dimension as the outer peripheral projection  40 . The positioning projection  42  may include at least a U-shaped portion in a plan view (see, for example,  FIG. 3 ) that may be open in a direction opposite from the terminal-receiving hole  32 . The specific configuration of the positioning projection  42  can be set suitably in consideration of a shape or the like of the bus bar  18 . For example, the positioning projection  42  may be connected to the outer peripheral projection  40 , if necessary, as is the case with the positioning projection  42  shown at an upper left position in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0033]    The board terminals  14  may be inserted into the through-holes  32  in the insulation plate  16 . As shown also in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , each board terminal  14  may be formed by punching a metal sheet or by cutting off a flat metal wire in a given length. The board terminal  14  may be provided on one end with a rectangular connecting portion  44  having a flat in cross section. The board terminal  14  may be provided on the other end with a pair of soldering portions  48  (only one soldering portion  48  is shown in  FIG. 5 ) that are inserted into and soldered in each through-hole  46  in the printed board  12 . 
         [0034]    Each board terminal  14  may be formed into a crank-like configuration and may have a bent portion  52  bent in a crank-like shape between the connecting portion  44  and the soldering portions  48 . Furthermore, the board terminal  14  may be provided between the bent portion  52  and the connecting portion  44  with stepped engaging projections  54 ,  54  projecting from both sides in a width direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 6 ) of the board terminal  14 . The board terminal  14  may have a small width dimension (i.e., dimension in right and left directions in  FIG. 6 ) from the engaging projections  54 ,  54  to the connecting portion  44 . 
         [0035]    In the board terminal  14  constructed above, the soldering portions  48  may be inserted into and soldered in the through-hole  46  in the printed board  12  and may be inserted into the terminal-receiving hole  32  in the tubular support portion  30  on the insulation plate  16  so that the connecting portion  44  projects from the front side  26  on the insulation plate  16 . When the board terminal  14  is inserted into the support tubular portion  30 , the bent portion  52  of the board terminal  14  may project outward from the tubular support portion  30  through the recess  36  in the tubular support portion  30 . The recess  36  may be disposed above (i.e., at an upper side in  FIG. 5 ) the bent portion  52 . The soldering portions  48  may be inserted into the through-hole  46  to be disposed outside the tubular support portion  30 . Thus, the soldering portions  48  can be disposed below the visual recognition window  38 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the engaging projections  34 ,  34  of the tubular support portion  30  may be opposed to the engaging projections  54 ,  54  of the board terminal  14  so as to be spaced apart from the engaging projections  54 ,  54  by a slight clearance. Furthermore, the board terminal  14  may be inserted into the tubular support portion  30  so as to be spaced apart from the tubular support portion  30  by a suitable clearance in a thickness direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 5 ) while the board terminal  14  may be inserted into the tubular support portion  30  without causing any clearance in a width direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 6 ). 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the bus bar  18  may be disposed on the insulation plate  16 . The bus bar  18  may be formed by punching out a metal sheet. The bus bar  18  may be formed into a crank-like configuration that includes a first flat plate portion  56 , a vertical wall portion  58  standing up from the first flat plate portion  56 , and a second flat plate portion  60  extending horizontally from the vertical wall portion  58 . Although the bus bar  18  is not shown in detail in  FIG. 1 , the second flat plate portion  60  may be provided on its distal end edge with a plurality of so-called tuning fork-like terminals each having a pair of insulation displacement blades. Tuning fork-like terminals may be juxtaposed on the second flat plate portion  60 . The tuning fork-like terminals can cooperate with the board terminals  14  soldered on the printed board  12  to define fuse-connecting sections. 
         [0037]    A plurality of terminal portions  20  (e.g., four terminal portions shown in  FIG. 2 ) may be integrated with the first plat plate portion  56 . Each terminal portion  20  may be partially cut up from the first flat plate portion  56  to be formed into a flat tab-like configuration that has substantially the same size as the connecting portion  44  of the board terminal  14 . The first flat plate portion  56  may be provided near each terminal portion  20  with a punched-out hole  64  (see, for example,  FIG. 2 ) formed by a punching process to make the terminal portion  20 . 
         [0038]    Since the first flat plate portion  56  of the bus bar  18  may be disposed on the insulation plate  16  mounted on the printed board  12 , the bus bar  18  may be supported above the printed board  12  by the insulation plate  16 . Since the outer peripheral projection  40  of the insulation plate  16  may be fitted into the punched-out hole  64  when the first flat plate portion  56  is disposed on the insulation plate  16 , the first flat plate portion  56  may be positioned on the insulation plate  16 . Since the terminal portion  20  provided on the first flat plate portion  56  contacts with the positioning projection  42  on the insulation plate  16 , the first flat plate portion  56  may be positioned on the insulation plate  16 . In result, the connecting portion  20  of the bus bar  18  may be opposed to the connecting portion  44  of the board terminal  14 , which projects upward from the insulation plate  16  through the terminal-receiving hole  32 , to constitute a fusible link connecting portion  22 . 
         [0039]    In an exemplary embodiment, a process of assembling the above packaging board  10  can be carried out as follows. Firstly, the bus bar  18  may be disposed on the insulation plate  16 . Although a detail illustration is omitted in  FIG. 1 , a fuse block  66  made of a synthetic resin and a side casing made of a synthetic resin that constitutes side surfaces of the electrical junction box are incorporated with the insulation plate  16 . The second flat plate portion  60  of the bus bar  18  may be disposed on the fuse block  66 . Since tuning fork-like terminal portions (not shown) provided on an end edge of the second flat plate portion  60  are inserted into the side casing  68 , the bus bar  18  may be incorporated with the insulation plate  16  so that the bus bar  18  falls down from the insulation plate  16 . When the bus bar  18  is incorporated with the insulation plate  16 , soldering portions  70  (see, for example,  FIG. 2 ) provided on the bus bar  18  can project from the rear side  28  of the insulation plate  16  via the through-holes in the insulation plate  16 . 
         [0040]    When the insulation plate  16 , to which the bus bar  18  is attached, directs the rear side  28  upward in a vertical direction, the board terminals  14  can be inserted into the terminal-receiving holes  32  in the tubular support portions  30  from the rear side  28 . When the engaging projections  54 ,  54  of each board terminal  14  contact with the engaging portion  34 ,  34  in each tubular support portion  30 , an amount of inserting the board terminal  14  into the tubular support portion  30  can be defined and the board terminal  14  can be held in the insulation plate  16  under a condition where the soldering portions  48  project from the rear side  28 . 
         [0041]    Then, when the printed board  12  is superimposed onto the rear side  28  of the insulation plate  16  that holds the plural board terminals  14 , the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14  projecting from the printed board  12  and the soldering portions  70  of the bus bar  18  can be inserted into the through-holes  46  in the printed board  12 , respectively. Then, when the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14  inserted into the through-holes  46  and the soldering portions  70  of the bus bar  18  inserted into the through-holes  46  are soldered to the printed board  12 , respectively, the board terminals  14  project from the printed board  12 , and the board terminals  14  and bus bar  18  can be electrically connected to printed circuits (not shown) provided on the printed board  12 . Thus, the packaging board  10  is constructed. 
         [0042]    When the packaging board  10  constructed above is housed in the casing of the electrical junction box such as a junction box installed in, for example, a motor vehicle, the packaging board  10  can constitute an internal circuit for the electrical junction box. The terminal portions  20  of the bus bar  18  and the connecting portions  44  of the board terminals  14  that constitute the fusible link connecting portion  22  project outside the casing  12 , so that the connecting portions  22  and  44  can be connected to the fusible link that serves as external electrical parts (not shown). 
         [0043]    According to the packaging board  10  constructed above, when the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14  are inserted into the through-holes  46  in the printed board  12 , it is possible to hold the board terminals  14  on the insulation plate  16  by inserting the board terminals  14  into the tubular support portions  30  integrated with the insulation board  16  and by engaging the board terminals  14  with the engaging projection  34  in the tubular support portions  30 . Thus, when the board terminals  14  are soldered on the printed board  12 , it is possible to temporarily secure the board terminals  14  to the printed board  12  without using any jig. Since the insulation plate  16  is made of a resin, the insulation plate  16  can be easily formed in comparison with a metal sheet and can deal with various kinds of arrangement of the board terminals flexibly and cheaply. Particularly, as described in the first embodiment, in the case where the number of board terminals  14  is relatively small, it is possible to obtain an excellent efficiency in cost in comparison with preparation for a metal jig. 
         [0044]    In addition, in the first embodiment, since the insulation plate  16 , on which the bus bar  18  is mounted, constitutes an insulation support member for the board terminals  14 , it is possible to obtain excellent cost efficiency without increasing part count. Because it is not necessary to remove the insulation plate  16  from the printed board  12  after soldering the board terminals  14 , it is possible to reduce the number of soldering steps. Furthermore, the bus bar  18  can be disposed through the insulation plate  16  above the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14 , thereby realizing a high density on the printed board  12 . 
         [0045]    Since the insulation plate  16  is provided with the visual recognition windows  38 , it is possible to visually recognize the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14  through the visual recognition windows  38 . Thus, it is possible to easily carry out a visual detection of the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  14 . Since the soldering portions  48  can be recognized positively through the visual recognition windows  38 , it may not be necessary to make additional spaces around the soldering portions  48  in order to obtain a visual recognition for the soldering portions  48 , and other electrical components can be arranged near the soldering portions  48 . Accordingly, it is possible to further achieve a high density on the printed board  12 . 
         [0046]    Since the board terminals  14  can be inserted into and surrounded by the tubular support portions  30 , it is possible to restrain the board terminals  14  from being inclined when the fusible link is attached to and detached from the printed board  12 , and it is possible to prevent the soldered portions from being cracked. Specifically, it is apparent from  FIG. 6  that, in the case where a force is applied to the board terminal  14  in a drawing direction (i.e., upper direction in  FIG. 6 ) when removing the fusible link from the fusible link connecting portion  22 , the board terminal  14  can be prevented from moving upward since the board terminal  14  can be engaged with the engaging projections  34 ,  34  in the support tubular portion  34 . Since the board terminal  14  can be inserted into the support tubular portion  30  without causing any clearance in the width direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 6 ), it is possible to prevent the board terminal  14  from causing any backlash and play in the width direction of the terminal  14 . In particular, it is apparent from  FIG. 5  that the bent portion  52  of the board terminal  14  can be engaged with the recess  36  in the tubular support portion  30  against the drawing force and it is possible to restrain the board terminal  14  from moving upward. 
         [0047]    Furthermore, the tubular support portions  30  can extend to the printed board  12 , and the projecting end edges of the tubular support portions  30  can be positioned on the printed board without causing any clearance. Thus, for example, when the fusible link is connected to the board terminals  14 , if a pressing force directed to the printed board  12  is applied to the insulation plate  16 , the tubular support portions  30  contact the printed board  12  and a deformation of the insulation plate  16  and an inclination of the board terminal  14  due to the deformation of the insulation plate  16  can be restrained. Since the soldering portions  48  of the board terminal  14  are disposed outside the tubular support portion  30  through the recess  36  in the tubular support portion  30 , the soldering portions  48  can be recognized visually even though the tubular support portion  30  extends to the printed board  12 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 7  shows another exemplary embodiment of a packaging board  72 . 
         [0049]    In this exemplary embodiment, a pedestal  76  can support a plurality of board terminals  74  that can serve as conductive members. The pedestal  76  can constitute an insulation support member. The pedestal  76  may be formed into a rectangular block-like configuration made of a nonconductive synthetic resin. The pedestal  76  may be disposed on the printed board  12  through leg portions  77  projecting from four corners of the pedestal  76 . Each board terminal  74  may be formed by cutting a metal wire by a given length and has a substantially square shape in cross section. A plurality of board terminals  74  may be arranged and fixed on the pedestal  76  by a pressing process or an insert-forming process to be supported above the printed board  12 . The one end of each board terminal  74  may be inserted into and soldered in a through-hole (not shown) in the printed board  12 , while the other end of each board terminal  74  can be connected to a connector (not shown) that may serve as an external electrical component. 
         [0050]    A pair of tubular support portions  78 ,  78  may be integrated with the pedestal  76 . Each board terminal  80  may be inserted into each tubular support portion  78 . As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the board terminal  80  may be formed straight and may not be provided with the bent portion  52  formed on the board terminal  14 . 
         [0051]    Each tubular support portion  78  may be formed into a substantially rectangular tubular configuration that extends straight from a rear side  82  of the pedestal  76  toward the printed board  12 . The tubular support portion  78  may be provided on its opposite ends in a width direction (i.e., right and left directions in  FIG. 8 ) with recesses  84 ,  84 . Each tubular support portion  78  may be provided in its adjacent part with the visual recognition window  38  that penetrates the pedestal  76 . 
         [0052]    According to this embodiment, when the board terminal  80  is soldered on the printed board  12 , the board terminal  80  can be inserted into the tubular support portion  78  of the pedestal  76  and the pedestal  76  can support the board terminal  80 . When the soldering portions  48  of the pair of board terminals  80 ,  80  supported on the pedestal  76  are inserted into and soldered in the through-holes  46  in the printed board  12 , the connecting portions  44 ,  44  of the pair of board terminals  80 ,  80  are opposed to each other on the pedestal  76 . It is possible to visually recognize the soldering portions  48  of the board terminals  80  through the recesses  84  and visual recognition windows  38  provided in the tubular support portions  78 . 
         [0053]    It will be apparent from the above embodiment that a pedestal that supports the board terminals may be used as an insulation support member. The board terminal to be inserted into the tubular support portion may have a straight configuration. A specific configuration of the tubular support portion can be set in accordance with a specific configuration of the board terminal. For example, in the case where the board terminal  80  has a straight configuration, the soldering portions  48  can be disposed in the tubular support portion  78 . Thus, the soldering portions  48  may be positioned in the tubular support portion  78  and may be exposed outside through the recesses  84  so as to be recognized at the outside. The soldering portions  48  are not required to be disposed outside the tubular support portion  78 . 
         [0054]    Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are described above in detail, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. In some aspects, the above embodiments can reduce a part count by utilizing the insulation plate  16  and the pedestal  76 , which serve to support the bus bar  18  and the board terminals  74 , as an insulation support member. However, it may not be necessary to replace an insulation member by a support member that supports the other conductive member. The insulation support member may be prepared separately. In such case, it is possible to lower production costs by eliminating the step of removing the insulation plate from the printed board, and to reduce a solder cracking, since the board terminal can be supported by the insulation support member after soldering. 
         [0055]    The tubular support portion is not required to extend to the printed board to make contact with the printed board. The projecting end edge of the tubular support portion from the insulation member may be positioned to be spaced apart from the printed board by a given distance.