JP2001351701A - Terminal box structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal box structure preventing a terminal screw from dropping, even if it is detached from a screw hole in a terminal box thereby enhancing workability for mounting of a crimping terminal, while reducing the number of parts for miniaturization and also reducing the man hours needed for assembly. SOLUTION: The terminal box structure includes a conducting plate 3, secured to the base part 2a of a terminal box body 2 with the terminal screw 5 threadably engaged in the conducting plate, and a terminal-holding plate 4 against which a crimp terminal is pressed by passing the terminal screw through the holding plate and a hole 9a in the crimp terminal 9 and then threadably engaging the screw into the screw hole in the conducting plate. The base part 2a is formed with a slit 2h near one side of the conducting plate and a sidewall part 2d is extended downward along the slit. A locking means 2i is provided at the lower end of the base part and the terminal-holding plate 4 is formed in the shape of an inverted L, consisting of a plate member having spring properties, with the horizontal part 4a of the holding plate being provided with both a through-hole 4c for the terminal screw and a terminal screw retaining means 4d, and the vertical part 4b of the holding plate which passed through the slit 2h and locked at its lower end by the locking means, so as to impart a biasing force in the direction of moving the terminal screw away from the conducting plate. A retaining means 4g which are to be locked to the lower surface of the base part are provided on both sides of the holding plate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal block structure used for connection between a power supply device and electronic equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a terminal block is used for connection between a power supply device and an electronic device supplied with power from the power supply device, connection between a sensor and an electronic device receiving an electric signal from the sensor, and the like. The terminal block is electrically connected to a power supply device, a sensor, and the like via a lead wire, and a round crimp terminal crimp-connected to the tip of the lead wire is screwed with a terminal screw of the terminal block.

As a connection structure of a terminal block, for example, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 of JP-A-11-250960, a round crimp terminal attached to the end of a lead wire is mounted on a terminal block. The terminal screw is turned by a driver so that the terminal screw for screwing is screwed into the screw hole at the center of the crimp terminal, and the terminal screw is screwed into the screw hole provided in the terminal base. A conductive plate for conducting electricity is provided around the screw hole provided in the terminal block portion, and the terminal screws are tightly tightened and press-contacted so that the conductive plate and the crimp terminal are conducted.

[0004] Such a work is usually performed in a limited work space in a control panel in which a power supply device, electronic equipment, and the like are installed. One hand holds a round crimp terminal, and the other hand holds the crimp terminal. The connection work is performed by holding both the driver and the terminal screw and inserting the terminal screw into the hole of the crimp terminal. For this reason, there is a possibility that the terminal screw may fall from the hand or the terminal block during the operation. The terminal screw is a relatively small part, and it is difficult to find the dropped terminal screw. In particular, in an environment where process control is performed, a great number of sensors and actuators are installed, and it is necessary to connect these devices to terminal blocks installed in the control panel via lead wires. Improvement of workability is essential.

For this reason, various terminal block structures have been created so that a round crimp terminal can be easily connected without a terminal screw falling from the terminal block. For example, the spring and the terminal screw support prevent the terminal screw from falling and push up the terminal screw (screw up).
2 and 3 of JP-A-11-250960.
As shown in FIG. 7 and the like, the connection terminal including the terminal screw is provided with a slidable groove in the terminal base to limit the movable range, thereby preventing the connection terminal including the terminal screw from dropping. There is a structure to do.

[0006]

However, according to the terminal block structure in which the connection work of the round crimping terminal can be easily performed without the terminal screw falling from the conventional terminal block, the terminal screw can be easily connected. However, in the former example, the number of components is increased due to the need for a spring, making it difficult to reduce the size of the terminal block, and increasing the number of assembly steps. Further, in the latter example, there is a problem that it is difficult to manufacture the terminal block because it is necessary to form a groove or the like for sliding the connection terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and prevents a terminal screw from dropping even if it comes off from a screw hole of a terminal block, thereby improving workability of mounting a crimp terminal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal block structure capable of reducing the number of components to reduce the size and the number of assembling steps.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a conductive plate fixed to a base of a terminal block main body and provided with a screw hole into which a terminal screw is screwed is provided. A terminal pressing plate for inserting the terminal screw through the hole of the crimp terminal and screwing into the screw hole of the conductive plate to press the crimp terminal against the conductive plate; A slit is formed in the vicinity of one side of the conductive plate, a side wall portion extends downward along the slit, a locking means is provided at a lower end, and the terminal pressing plate has a spring property. A horizontal member is provided with a hole through which the terminal screw is inserted, and a stopper for locking the terminal screw is provided. The terminal screw is locked by the locking means and Grant biasing force in a direction away from the collector plate, characterized in that a detachment preventing means is engaged with the lower surface of the base portion on both sides are provided.

The terminal screw is inserted into the hole of the terminal holding plate,
Further, it is locked by the retaining means so that it cannot be deviated. When connecting a round crimp terminal, insert the crimp terminal between the conductive plate and the terminal screw, apply a screwdriver to the terminal screw and push it down, the lower part of the vertical part of the terminal holding plate will bend and the terminal screw The tip corresponds to the opening end of the screw hole of the conductive plate. When the driver is turned in this state, the terminal screws are screwed into the screw holes. By tightening the terminal screws, the terminal holding plate presses the crimp terminal to the conductive plate. Thereby, the crimp terminal is electrically connected to the conductive plate. The lower part of the vertical portion of the terminal holding plate is curved and stores elastic energy.

When the terminal screw is loosened to remove the crimp terminal, the terminal holding plate is pushed up by the spring force of the lower portion of the vertical portion. When the terminal screw comes off from the screw hole of the conductive plate, the terminal screw is pushed up together with the terminal holding plate until the retaining means is locked to the lower surface of the base portion. Thereby, the crimp terminal can be removed from the terminal block. The terminal screw is prevented from dropping when attaching or detaching the crimp terminal by being locked to the terminal holding plate so as not to deviate,
Furthermore, when it comes off from the conductive plate, it is pushed up together with the terminal pressing plate, thereby improving workability.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cutaway of a main part of a terminal block to which a terminal block structure according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal block 1 includes a plurality of terminal blocks 1-1, 1-2, and 1-.
Are integrally formed, and are composed of a terminal block main body 2, a conductive plate 3, a terminal pressing plate 4, a terminal screw 5, and the like. The terminal block main body 2 has a plurality of crimp terminals arranged side by side and can be connected. Partition walls 2b are erected at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the base section 2a, and the terminal block sections 1-1, 1- 2, 1-3,
…, Is defined in. The base portion 2a has sidewall portions 2c and 2d extending downward on both sides. The terminal block main body 2 is formed of an insulating resin member. The terminal block 1-1 will be described for simplicity.

A concave portion 2e for mounting the conductive plate 3 on the upper surface of the base portion 2a and a concave portion 2f for preventing the tip from interfering when the terminal screw 5 is screwed into the conductive plate 3
Is provided. Inside the side wall 2c on one side, a hole 2g for attaching the conductive plate 3 is provided along the vertical direction. The inner surface 2 of the other side wall 2d is provided on the base 2a.
A slit 2h is provided along d ', and a notch 2i as a locking means is provided at the lower end of the inner surface 2d' of the side wall 2d.

The conductive plate 3 has an inverted L shape and has a horizontal portion 3a.
Are fitted in the concave portions 2e of the base portion 2a, the upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the base portion 2a, and the vertical portion 3b is the hole 2 in the side wall 2c.
g and extends downward. A screw hole 3c for screwing the terminal screw 5 is formed substantially at the center of the horizontal portion 3a, and a recess 2f slightly larger than the screw hole 3c is located below the screw hole 3c. This conductive plate 3
It is fixed to the terminal block main body 2.

The terminal holding plate 4 has an inverted L shape, a horizontal portion 4a can be opposed to the horizontal portion 3a of the conductive plate 3, and a vertical portion 4b can be inserted into the slit 2h of the base portion 2. A hole 4c through which the terminal screw 5 is inserted is formed substantially in the center of the horizontal portion 3a in correspondence with the screw hole 3c of the conductive plate 3, and a projection 2d as a retaining means is provided on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The projection 2d engages with an annular concave portion 5c provided at the base of the shaft 5a of the terminal screw 5, and locks the terminal screw 5 so that it cannot escape.

The vertical portion 4b is formed with locking claws 4e, 4e as locking means on both sides at the lower end, and a lower central portion 4f extends downward in the form of a tongue. The terminal pressing plate 4 is formed of a thin plate of, for example, phosphor bronze having spring properties and conductivity, and the central portion 4f is a plate spring portion as an elastic portion (hereinafter, referred to as "plate spring portion 4f"). ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal holding plate 4 has a lower portion of the vertical portion 4b and a leaf spring portion 4f inserted through the slit 2h of the base portion 2a, and a lower end of the leaf spring portion 4f has a notch at a lower end of the side wall portion 2d. 2i, locking claws 4e, 4
e is locked on the lower surface of the base 2a and on both sides of the slit 2h. The leaf spring portion 4f is curved so as to slightly expand toward the side wall portion 2c, and pushes up the vertical portion 4b by its spring property. The vertical portion 4 is locked to the base portion 2a by the locking claw 4e and is prevented from moving upward, thereby preventing the terminal holding plate 4 from deviating from the base portion 2a. The terminal screw 5 is inserted through the hole 4c of the horizontal portion 4a via the washer 6, and is locked by the projection 4d so as not to deviate. In this state, the terminal screw 5 is spaced apart from the screw hole 3c of the conductive plate 3, and the distance between the tip of the terminal screw 5 and the upper surface of the conductive plate 3 is determined by a round crimp provided at the end of the electric wire 8 to be connected. The interval is wider than the thickness of the terminal 9. Other terminal block 1
, 1-3,... Are similarly configured.

The connection operation will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, when the crimp terminal is in a non-connection state (normal state), the terminal pressing plate 4 is pushed up by the leaf spring portion 4f, and the terminal screw 5 is connected to the conductive plate 3. They are spaced apart. When the round crimp terminal 9 is connected, the crimp terminal 9 is inserted between the conductive plate 3 and the terminal screw 5 as shown by an arrow so that the hole 9a is positioned below the terminal screw 5, or 5 through the hole 9a. Next, when a driver (not shown) is applied to the head 5b of the terminal screw 5 to push it down, the leaf spring portion 4f is bent and the tip of the terminal screw 5 hits the opening end of the screw hole 3c of the conductive plate 3. . When the driver is turned in this state, the terminal screw 5 is screwed into the screw hole 3c. Then, by tightening the terminal screw 5, the terminal pressing plate 4 presses the crimp terminal 9 against the upper surface of the conductive plate 3 as shown in FIG. 3 (during fastening). At this time, the screw portion 5 of the terminal screw 5
The leading end of a is accommodated in a concave portion 2f provided in the base portion 2a to prevent interference with the base portion 2a. Thereby, the crimp terminal 9 is electrically connected to the conductive plate 3. The leaf spring portion 4f of the terminal holding plate 4 is bent in a large bow shape to store elastic energy.

When the terminal screw 5 is loosened to remove the crimp terminal 9, the terminal pressing plate 4 is pushed up by the spring force of the leaf spring portion 4f. When the terminal screw 5 comes off from the screw hole 3c of the conductive plate 3, the terminal screw 5 and the terminal holding plate 4 are engaged with the locking claw 4e as shown in FIG.
It is pushed up until it is locked on the lower surface of a. Thereby, the crimp terminal 9 can be removed from the terminal block 1.

As described above, the terminal screw 5 is connected to the terminal holding plate 4.
The crimp terminal 9 is prevented from dropping when it is attached and detached, and when it is detached from the conductive plate 3, it is pushed up together with the terminal pressing plate 4 by the leaf spring portion 4f, thereby improving workability. Is improved. In the above embodiment, the case where a plurality of terminal blocks are integrally connected is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the present invention may be applied to a single terminal block.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the conductive plate fixed to the base portion of the terminal block main body, the terminal screw is inserted, and the hole of the crimp terminal is inserted and screwed into the screw hole of the conductive plate. In a terminal block structure having a terminal pressing plate that presses the crimp terminal into contact, a slit is formed in the base portion near one side of the conductive plate, and a side wall portion extends downward along the slit, and is formed at the lower end. Locking means is provided, the terminal pressing plate is formed in an inverted L shape by a plate member having spring properties, a terminal screw insertion hole and terminal screw retaining means are inserted in a horizontal portion, and a slit is inserted in a vertical portion through a slit. Is locked by the locking means to apply a biasing force in a direction to separate the terminal screw from the conductive plate, and to have a structure in which retaining means locked to the lower surface of the base portion on both sides are provided. With a simple structure, the terminal screws can be prevented from falling In both cases, when the terminal screw is loosened, the terminal screw is pushed up and separated from the conductive plate, so that the crimp terminal can be easily attached and detached, the number of parts is reduced, and assembling man-hours can be reduced. Is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a terminal block to which a terminal block structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an arrow II- in a state where the terminal block shown in FIG. 1 is assembled.
It is sectional drawing which follows II.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state when the terminal block shown in FIG. 2 is fastened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal block 2 Terminal block main body 2a Base part 2c, 2d Side wall part 2h Slit 2i Notch (locking means) 3 Conductive plate 3a Horizontal part 3b Vertical part 3c Screw hole 4 Terminal pressing plate 4a Horizontal part 4b Vertical part 4c Hole 4d Projection (Retaining means) 4e Locking claw (preventing means) 4f Leaf spring part (elastic part) 5 Terminal screw 8 Electric wire 9 Crimp terminal

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conductive plate fixed to a base portion of a terminal block main body and provided with a screw hole into which a terminal screw is screwed, said terminal screw being inserted, and said terminal screw being inserted through a hole of a crimp terminal. In a terminal block structure having a terminal pressing plate screwed into a screw hole of the conductive plate and pressing the crimp terminal onto the conductive plate, a slit is formed in the base portion near one side of the conductive plate. And a side wall portion extends downward along the slit, and a locking means is provided at a lower end. The terminal pressing plate is substantially inverted L by a plate member having a spring property.
A hole through which the terminal screw is inserted in a horizontal portion,
Locking means for locking the terminal screw; a vertical portion is inserted through the slit and a lower end is locked by the locking means to apply a biasing force in a direction separating the terminal screw from the conductive plate. And a terminal block structure provided on both sides thereof with retaining means locked to the lower surface of the base portion.