JP2000332520A - Lock structure of connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately lock the connector by restricting the rotating direction of the connector and inhibiting the connector from rotating at a specific position by providing a projection at the specific position on the internal surface of a connector fitting plate. SOLUTION: When an external antenna connector 51 which has a step part 52 at an intermediate part and also has an antenna cable 61 led out of a large- diameter part 53 is locked to the fitting plate 41, a couple of projections 55a and 55b provided at the top of a small-diameter part 54 of the connector 51 are fitted and inserted into a couple of right and left grooves 42a and 42b provided outside a connector insertion hole 43 of the fitting plate 41 and then only the small-diameter part 54 is inserted into the insertion hole 43 and then the connector 51 is rotated by 90 deg.. At this time, a 2nd projection 45 is provided on the internal surface of the fitting plate 41 in contact with one side of the groove 42a opposite the flank of the projection 55a; and then the connector 51 is enabled to rotate only in one direction and the 1st projection 44 is provided at the specific position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a connector locking structure for locking a connector to a mounting plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mobile telephones such as GSM (Globa)
l System for Mobile Commu
In external communication, external antennas can be used in addition to the antennas provided on the telephone itself. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, an antenna terminal 13 is provided on a circuit board 12 in a case 11 of the telephone. In addition, an insertion hole 14 for an external antenna connector is formed on the back surface of the case 11. The external antenna connector 21 is inserted into the case 11 from the insertion hole 14,
Is connected to the antenna terminal 13 so that the telephone can be connected to the external antenna 32 via the connector 21 and the cable 31 extending from the connector 21.
Can be connected to

At this time, it is necessary to lock the connector 21 to the back of the telephone case 11 so that the connector 21 does not come off the telephone. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional lock structure. In this figure, reference numeral 11a denotes a back surface portion (hereinafter referred to as an attachment plate) of a telephone case, in which a connector insertion hole 14 having a groove 15 on a pair of left and right sides is formed. On the other hand, 21 is an external antenna connector (however, the center conductive terminal 22 is not shown, but only the outer insulating resin body is shown), and is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape having a step portion 23 in the middle, and a rear end side. The antenna cable 31 is led out from the large-diameter portion 24 to the side. On the other hand, a pair of left and right protrusions 26 is provided on the distal end side surface of the small diameter portion 25 on the distal end side of the connector 21.

[0004] When such an external antenna connector 21 is locked to the mounting plate 11a, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 is aligned with the groove 15 of the insertion hole 14 and the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 14 of the mounting plate 11a.
And the front end side of the small diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 and the projection 26 are positioned inside the mounting plate 11a. At this time,
By making the projection 26 coincide with the groove 15, this projection 2
The distal end side of the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 having the connector 6 can be inserted into the insertion hole 14 and positioned inside the mounting plate 11a. Also, at this time, since the step portion 23 at the intermediate portion of the connector 21 abuts on the outer surface of the mounting plate 11a, the connector 21 stops with only the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 inserted into the insertion hole 14. Thereafter, the connector 21 is rotated by 90 ° as shown in FIG. Then, the projection 26 at the tip of the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 is displaced from the groove 15 of the insertion hole 14 to the inner surface of the mounting plate 11a, and is hooked on the inner surface of the mounting plate 11a. Locked. Thereafter, if the connector 21 is further rotated by 90 ° or if the connector 21 is returned by 90 °, the projection 26 matches the groove 15 again as shown in FIG. The connector 21 can be removed from the mounting plate 11a by pulling out the distal end and the protrusion 26 from the insertion hole 14.

[0005]

However, in the conventional lock structure as described above, after inserting the small-diameter portion 25 of the connector 21 into the insertion hole 14, it is sufficient to rotate the connector 21 to lock it. It was difficult to understand, and there was a problem that it was rotated too much and slipped out. Also,
Although the cable 31 is led out from the large-diameter portion 24 of the connector 21, since the rotation angle of the connector 21 is not determined,
The direction of the cable 31 could not be specified.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector locking structure in which a connector can be accurately and reliably locked to a mounting plate and the direction of a cable extending from the connector can be specified.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a connector insertion hole having a groove on the outside is formed in a part of a mounting plate. After the front end of the connector is inserted into the connector insertion hole in accordance with the groove and positioned inside the mounting plate, the connector is rotated by a predetermined angle to shift the protrusion from the groove to the inner surface of the mounting plate. In the connector locking structure for locking the connector to the mounting plate, the first projection is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate for preventing the rotation of the connector when the connector is rotated by a predetermined angle. It is characterized by.

[0008] In addition to the first projection, a second projection or a raised portion may be provided. That is, the distal end side of the connector is inserted into the connector insertion hole, and the distal end side and the protruding portion are opposed to one side surface of the protruding portion in a state where the protruding portion is located inside the mounting plate, and regulate the rotation direction of the connector. A second projection is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate. Further, a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate, the protrusion coming into contact with the protrusion during the rotation of the connector by a predetermined angle and acting as a stopper against the rotation of the connector in the opposite direction.

In such a lock structure, it is preferable that there are a plurality of grooves provided in the connector insertion hole and a plurality of protrusions provided in the connector, which are different in shape or size. Further, there are a plurality of protrusions provided on the connector, and the thickness can be different from each other. Further, it is preferable that the inside of the protrusion is formed as a slope, and that when the connector is rotated by a predetermined angle, the slope contacts the raised portion. Further, a shield plate may be provided inside the mounting plate so as to cover the connector insertion hole, and a hole smaller than the connector insertion hole may be formed in the shield plate corresponding to the conductive terminal at the center of the connector.

More specifically, the mounting plate is a part of the case of the mobile phone, the connector is an external antenna connector of the mobile phone, and a cable is led out. Antenna terminal.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector locking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; The following embodiment is a case where the lock structure of the present invention is used for locking an external antenna connector of a mobile phone. However, the lock structure of the present invention is not limited to the use described above, and can be used for other lock portions.

In the following description, the basic configuration and basic operation will be described first, and then the configuration and operation added in the present invention will be described. <Basic Configuration and Operation> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 41 denotes a mounting plate as a part of a mobile telephone case, and a connector insertion hole 43 having grooves 42a and 42b on a pair of left and right sides is formed. On the other hand, 51 is an external antenna connector (however,
The center conductive terminal is not shown, and only the outer insulating resin body is shown). The center conductive terminal is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape having a step portion 52 in the middle, and the antenna cable extends laterally from the large-diameter portion 53 on the rear end side. 61 is derived. On the other hand, a pair of left and right protrusions 55a and 55b is provided on the distal end side surface of the small diameter portion 54 on the distal end side of the connector 51.

When such an external antenna connector 51 is locked to the mounting plate 41, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the projections 55a, 5a of the small-diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 are used.
The small diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 is inserted into the insertion hole 43 of the mounting plate 41 with the 5b aligned with the grooves 42a and 42b of the insertion hole 43, and the distal end side of the small diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 and the projection 55a. , 55b are positioned inside the mounting plate 41. At this time, the protrusions 55a and 55b are
b, the distal end side of the small-diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 having the protrusions 55a and 55b is inserted into the insertion hole 43.
And can be positioned inside the mounting plate 41. At this time, the step 52 at the middle of the connector 51
Abuts against the outer surface of the mounting plate 41, so that the connector 51 stops with only the small-diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 inserted into the insertion hole 43. Thereafter, the connector 51 is rotated 90 ° as shown in FIG. Then, the protrusions 55 a and 55 b at the tip of the small diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 are inserted into the grooves 42 of the insertion hole 43.
The connector 51 is shifted from the portions a and 42b to the inner surface of the mounting plate 41 and is hooked on the inner surface of the mounting plate 41. As a result, the connector 51 is locked to the mounting plate 41. Thereafter, when the connector 51 is turned back by 90 °, the protrusion 55 is again returned as shown in FIG.
Since a and 55b match the grooves 42a and 42b, the distal end of the small-diameter portion 54 and the projections 55a and 55b of the connector 51 can be pulled out from the insertion hole 43, and the connector 51 can be removed from the mounting plate 41.

<Structure and operation added in the present invention> As shown in FIG.
5 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the second projection 45 is configured such that the projections 55 a and 55 b are aligned with the grooves 42 a and 42 b and the small-diameter portion 54 on the distal end side of the connector 51 is inserted into the connector insertion hole 4.
3 and the distal end of the small diameter portion 54 and the projections 55a, 55
b is located inside the mounting plate 41 so as to face one side surface of the one protrusion 55a. Therefore, the provision of the second projection 45 allows the connector 51 to be rotated only in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 after the insertion.

As shown in FIG. 1, a first projection 44 is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate 41. This first projection 44
Is provided such that when the connector 51 is rotated by 90 ° in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2, the protrusion 55b on the other side comes into contact as shown in FIG. Therefore, by providing the first projection 44, the connector 51 is accurately stopped at a predetermined position rotated by 90 °, and the connector 51 is attached to the mounting plate 41.
Can be securely locked, and the direction of the cable 61 can also be specified. Here, assuming that the connector 51 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow A from the state of FIG. 2, the one protrusion 55 a contacts the first protrusion 44 in a state where the connector 51 does not rotate 90 °, and the connector 51 is rotated. It stops. Therefore, it is preferable to combine the regulation of the rotation direction with the second projection 45 and the inhibition of the rotation with the first projection 44.

As shown in FIG. 1, a protrusion 46 is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate 41 in a bar shape. This raised portion 46
When the connector 51 is rotated by 90 ° in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2, the protrusion 55a on one side abuts, the protrusion 55a gets over, and the connector 51 is rotated by 90 ° as shown in FIG. 3. The connector 51 is provided in front of the protrusion 55a so as to function as a stopper for preventing the connector 51 from returning. Therefore, this raised portion 46
By preventing the connector 51 from returning, the connector 51 can be securely locked to the mounting plate 41 and the direction of the cable 61 can be specified.

Here, as shown by t1 and t2 in FIG. 4, the thickness of the pair of projections 55a and 55b can be changed to optimize the extent to which one of the projections 55a abuts on the raised portion 46. . That is, when the protrusion 55a on one side comes into contact with the protrusion 46, the rotation of the connector 51 stops, and when the connector 51 is rotated strongly, the protrusion 55a rides over the protrusion 46 and the connector 51 rotates again, and the connector 51 is rotated. 90 °
Although it is in a rotated state, how much force should be applied to the connector 51 when the protrusion 55a comes into contact with the protrusion 46 is determined by the amount of contact between the protrusion 55a and the protrusion 46. This contact amount can be set to an optimum value by changing the thickness of the pair of protrusions 55a and 55b.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, if the inside of the projection 55a is a slope 551 and the slope 551 contacts the raised portion 46 of FIG. The rotational force required for the connector 51 when the 55a climbs over the raised portion 46 can be reduced, and at the same time, the vertical side surface 552 of the projection 55a comes into contact with the raised portion 46 at the time of reversing, so that the reversing can be surely performed. Thus, the connector 51 can be securely locked at a position rotated by 90 °, and the direction of the cable 61 can be designated.

As shown by W1 and W2 in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right grooves 42a and 42b provided in the connector insertion hole 43 have different widths. Correspondingly, the tip side small diameter portion 5 of the connector 51
The width of the pair of left and right protrusions 55a, 55b provided on
1 ′, W2 ′. Thus, a pair of left and right grooves 42
a, 42b and the pair of left and right projections 55a, 55b have different widths, so that the connector
1 can be prevented from being inserted right and left, and accurate locking and accurate orientation of the cable 61 can be achieved.

Here, instead of the width, as shown in FIG.
A pair of left and right grooves 42a, 42b and a pair of left and right protrusions 55
The lengths of a and 55b may be changed. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the shapes of the pair of left and right grooves 42a and 42b and the pair of left and right protrusions 55a and 55b may be changed. In FIG. 6, the groove 42b and the protrusion 55b are formed in a U-shape, and the groove 42a and the protrusion 55a are formed in a square. Even if the length or shape is changed in this way, right and left reverse insertion can be prevented, and accurate locking and correct cable orientation can be achieved.

Since the connector insertion hole 43 formed in the mounting plate 41 (part of the telephone case) is relatively large, it causes intrusion of dust and the like. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, a shielding plate 47 is attached inside the attachment plate 41. A hole 48 smaller than the connector insertion hole 43 is formed in the shielding plate 47 corresponding to the conductive terminal 56 at the center of the connector 51. The conductive terminal 56 is inserted through the hole 48 inside the case and connected to an antenna terminal provided on a circuit board in the case. The shielding plate 47 is
The tip of the small-diameter portion 54 of the connector 51 abuts, and the connector 5
1 also acts as a stopper in the insertion direction.

[0022]

As described in detail above, according to the connector locking structure of the present invention, the connector can be accurately and securely locked to the mounting plate, and the direction of the cable extending from the connector can be specified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector lock structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the embodiment of the present invention in a state where a connector is inserted into a connector insertion hole.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the embodiment of the present invention with the connector locked.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the thickness of a pair of left and right protrusions is changed.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where the inside of one of the protrusions is inclined.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a pair of left and right grooves and a pair of right and left protrusions are changed in length.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the shapes of a pair of left and right grooves and a pair of left and right protrusions are changed.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a shielding plate is attached inside an attachment plate.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state where an external antenna is connected to the mobile phone.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional lock structure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 Mounting plates 42a, 42b Groove 43 Connector insertion hole 44 First protrusion 45 Second protrusion 46 Ridge 51 External antenna connector 52 Step 53 Large diameter 54 Small diameter 55a, 55b Projection 61 Antenna cable

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A connector insertion hole having a groove on the outside in a part thereof is formed in a mounting plate, and a protrusion is provided on a part of a side surface of a tip of the connector. After the leading end side is inserted into the connector insertion hole and positioned inside the mounting plate, the connector is rotated by a predetermined angle to shift the protrusion from the groove portion to the inner surface of the mounting plate, thereby locking the connector to the mounting plate. A connector locking structure, comprising: a first projection provided on an inner surface of a mounting plate, wherein the first projection abuts upon rotation of the connector by a predetermined angle to inhibit rotation of the connector. . 2. A connector in which a distal end is inserted into a connector insertion hole, and the distal end and the protrusion are opposed to one side surface of the protrusion in a state where the protrusion is positioned inside a mounting plate, and a rotational direction of the connector is provided. 2. The connector locking structure according to claim 1, wherein a second projection for regulating the height is provided on an inner surface of the mounting plate. 3. A protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the mounting plate, wherein the protrusion comes into contact with the protrusion during the rotation of the connector by a predetermined angle and the protrusion rides over the protrusion, and acts as a stopper against rotation of the connector in the opposite direction. The lock structure for a connector according to claim 1. 4. The connector locking structure according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of grooves provided in the connector insertion hole and a plurality of protrusions provided in the connector, and the shapes and sizes are different from each other. 5. The connector locking structure according to claim 3, wherein the connector has a plurality of protrusions, each having a different thickness. 6. The connector locking structure according to claim 3, wherein the inside of the protrusion is formed on a slope, and the slope contacts the raised portion when the connector is rotated by a predetermined angle. 7. A shield plate is provided inside the mounting plate so as to cover the connector insertion hole, and a hole smaller than the connector insertion hole is formed in the shield plate corresponding to the conductive terminal at the center of the connector. The connector lock structure according to claim 1, wherein 8. The mounting plate is a part of a case of the mobile phone, the connector is an external antenna connector of the mobile phone, and a cable is led out. The connector is locked to an antenna terminal of a circuit in the case. The connector lock structure according to claim 1, wherein the connector is connected.