JP2002231353A - Unit device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize a unit device and particularly thin the width thereof. SOLUTION: Oblong connection fittings 15, connected to a circuit pattern on a front board, are mounted to the front board 12 installed in a casing so as to face to the front of the unit, and elastic contact pieces 15c and 15d for catching connection terminals for connection to an adjoining unit are formed continuously to both left and right end parts of each connection fitting 15. A main board 11, facing to the left and right directions of the unit, is installed vertically to the front board 12 and adjacently to the lateral side surface of the casing, and the connection fittings 15 are connected throughout the main board 11 and the front board 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus which can be connected and connected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In current switching power supplies and the like,
It is widely used in various machinery and equipment in factories, and the types are various. Even if the output voltage is the same, the power capacity (output W)
However, a plurality of power supply series different from each other are currently being used.

In the current situation of using such power supplies, manufacturers, for example, individually develop and manufacture power supply series having the same output voltage with different capacities, and individually prepare power supply series corresponding to each capacity for each series. Developed and manufactured.

However, if the capacities are different even in the same series, it is necessary to newly develop and design the circuit board configuration, the arrangement of the transformers, and the like corresponding to the respective capacities. Had become.

[0005] In addition, even for users who purchase and use power supplies of these series, even if they are the same series, it is necessary to purchase various power supplies in the series individually according to various uses such as load to be used. Increase and purchase costs.

[0006]

Accordingly, the applicant of the present application has filed Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-304602, entitled "Power Supply Module and Power Supply Unit Used Therewith" on October 4, 2000, and If the power supply unit is modularized and this modularized power supply unit can be increased or decreased by any number to obtain a power supply of any capacity, the only cost for the manufacturer is the development cost of a power supply unit with a certain capacity In addition, it has been proposed that the user can purchase and use one or more power supply units having the capacity inexpensively according to the application.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a power supply device based on such a proposal.
6 and FIG. In this power supply device, one or a plurality of modularized power supply units 61 are mounted and supported in parallel on a DIN rail 62, and an AC input terminal 63, a DC output terminal 64, A power supply circuit 65 for converting an AC input into a DC output, a bus line L (i) on the AC input side, a bus line L (o) on the DC output side, and the like are provided. A plurality of power supply units 61 are connected in parallel, and the power supply unit 61 at the end is a master power supply unit connected to an AC power supply. i) via each power supply unit 61
And a DC output is connected in parallel via a bus line L (o) on the DC output side.

According to the power supply apparatus modularized in this way, the power supply capacity can be arbitrarily expanded by adding a plurality of power supply units 61, whereby power supplies having the same output voltage and different power supply capacities can be provided. Although it is not necessary to develop each of them individually, which is effective for cost reduction and the like, downsizing is an important issue in practical use.

That is, this type of device is often housed and installed in a limited space such as a control panel.
In order to arrange many units in parallel on the left and right, it is particularly required to reduce the thickness in the lateral width (left and right) direction.

However, in the unit having the above structure, since the bus lines of the units arranged in parallel must be connected, bus line connectors are required on the left and right sides of each unit, and the bus line connectors for connecting the left and right bus line connectors are required. It is also necessary to form a circuit pattern, which is one of the factors preventing thinning in the left-right direction.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and has as its main object to reduce the size of a unit device, particularly to reduce the thickness in the width direction.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, in the unit device of the present invention, a connection fitting is attached to a front substrate housed in a casing so as to face the front, and the connection fitting has a contact piece for connection with an adjacent unit device. It is provided on both left and right ends.

According to the present invention, an input bus line and an output bus line can be formed simply by attaching a connection fitting to the front substrate, and the left and right contact pieces can be used as bus line connector terminals.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the contact piece elastically clamps a connection terminal on the other side.

According to the present invention, for example, a mating connection terminal formed in the shape of a tongue piece or a pin is elastically sandwiched between the connection terminals to accurately conduct the connection terminal. It is suitable for connection of a power line.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the connection fitting is formed by bending a conductive metal plate having a spring property to form a connection pin for a front substrate at each bent piece part, A pair of contact pieces facing each other are formed at both left and right ends of the contact piece.

According to the present invention, the connection fitting has a high rigidity due to being bent, and is firmly connected to the front substrate via a plurality of connection pins. Further, a pair of contact pieces that sandwich the mating connection terminal are formed only by extending the two bent piece portions.

In still another embodiment of the present invention,
The main board housed in the casing so as to face the side surface is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the front board, and the connecting board is formed with connecting pins for the main board, and the main board is connected to the main board via the connecting board. It connects to the front substrate.

According to the present invention, the connection metal has not only an intended function of connecting a circuit between the front board and the main board, but also a function as a member for mechanically connecting the two boards, thereby firmly connecting the two boards. Is maintained in the orthogonal state.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one contact piece of the connection fitting comes into contact with a connection terminal on the other side through an opening formed in the main substrate.

According to the present invention, it is not necessary to cut out the main board largely in order to avoid one contact piece of the connection fitting. Can be mounted, and the front substrate can be narrowed accordingly, which is effective for reducing the thickness of the entire unit device.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an expandable power supply unit will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the power supply unit viewed from the front side, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power supply unit viewed from the rear side, and FIG. 3 is a view of the disassembled power supply unit 1 viewed from the bottom side. The respective perspective views are shown.

Each power supply unit 1 has the same specifications. The casing 2 has a main case 2a located on the left side when viewed from the front, a side cover case 2b located on the right side, and a Front case 2c
Are connected to each other to form a box having a small width on the left and right, a deep box on the top and bottom, and a depth on the front and back.

As shown in FIG. 2, a vertically wide mounting groove 5 to be engaged with the DIN rail 4 is formed on the rear surface of the casing 2 in a horizontal direction.
A detachable mounting piece 6 is mounted on the lower edge so as to be vertically slidable. A hook 7 for mechanically connecting adjacent power supply units 1 and an engagement hole 8 into which the hook 7 is inserted are provided above and below the left and right side surfaces of the casing 2, and the power supply unit adjacent to the engagement hole 8 is provided. One hook 7
When the lock knob 9 mounted on the upper surface of the casing is slid in a state where the hook 7 is inserted, the hook 7 is prevented from coming off.

As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit portion 3 such as a power supply circuit is provided with a large main board 11 facing left and right and a small front board 12 orthogonally connected to a portion near the front side. ing. Main electronic components constituting a power supply circuit for converting an AC input into a DC output are mounted on the main substrate 11, and on the front substrate 12, in addition to electronic components such as a monitor lamp and an output voltage adjusting volume,
Input side socket 13, output side socket 14, and connection fitting 15 for electrically connecting the circuits of both substrates 11 and 12.
The power supply unit 1 is a single unit as shown in FIG.
The electric circuit structure shown in FIG.

Here, the connection fitting 15 is formed by stamping a conductive metal plate having a spring property into a U-shape in which a pair of bent pieces are opposed to each other. Connection pins 15 to be inserted and soldered and connected
a are formed, and two connecting pins 15b which are inserted into the front substrate 12 and are connected by soldering are formed on the free end sides of the respective bent piece portions. The elastic contact pieces 15c and 15d extending in the direction extend in a cantilever manner and face each other.

The upper two connecting members 15 of the connecting member group 15 are connected to the AC input bus line L (i) connected to the AC input terminal 16 of the input side socket 13.
And each elastic contact piece 15c,
Reference numeral 15d functions as a connector terminal for connecting the AC input bus lines L (i) of the adjacent power supply units 1.

The lower four fittings 15 of the group of connecting fittings 15 are connected to a pair of DC output side bus lines L (o) connected to the DC output terminal 17 of the output side socket 14.
And a ground bus line L (g) connected to the ground terminal 18 of the input socket 13 and a control signal line L (c) connected to a power supply circuit 19 for converting AC to DC. Each elastic contact piece 15c, 15d
Are the bus lines L (o), L of the adjacent power supply unit 1.
Functions as a connector terminal that connects (g) and (c).

The power supply unit 1 constructed as described above can be used as a single unit. However, one power supply unit can be used as a master power supply unit, and an arbitrary number of power supply units 1 can be added in parallel to the power supply unit 1 to provide a power supply unit having a desired power supply capacity. The device can be configured.

FIG. 6 shows two power supply units 1 arranged in a connected posture, and FIG.
As a master power supply unit connected to an AC power supply, three power supply units 1 for expansion are added in parallel to the power supply unit, and a power supply device capable of performing a large number of outputs at the same voltage is constructed and assembled on a DIN rail 4. FIG. 8 shows the circuit connection structure. FIG. 10 is a front view of a part of a power supply device in which power supply units are added in parallel, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views taken along lines aa and bb in FIG. Each is shown.

In configuring the above power supply device, a connector 21 shown in FIG. 9 is used for electrical connection between the power supply units 1. The connector 21 is provided with elastic contact pieces 15c, 1 in the upper two connection fittings 15.
A connection terminal 22 inserted and contacted with 5d and a connection terminal 23 inserted and contacted with the elastic contact pieces 15c and 15d of the four lower connection fittings 15 are formed from left and right side surfaces of a body 24 formed of a vertically long resin. At the same time, protection projections 25 are provided above and below the connection terminal 22, and furthermore, the restraining pins 26
Has a protruding structure. Further, thin leg portions 27 project leftward and rightward from the upper and lower middle portions of the front surface of the body 24, and a flat display portion 28 is formed at the front end thereof toward the front.

On the other hand, on the left and right sides of each power supply unit 1,
Connector connecting portion 31 having a depth at which connector 21 is immersed.
Are formed at the bottom of the connector connecting portion 31, and terminal insertion holes 32 and 33 for inserting the connection terminals 22 and 23 group, guide holes 34 for inserting the protection protrusions 25 group, and restraint. Pin insertion hole 3 for inserting pin 26
5 are formed. The elastic contact pieces 15c, 15d of the connection fitting 15 are located inside the terminal insertion holes 32, 33.
The connector 21 is engaged with the connector connecting portion 31 so that the connection terminals 22 and 23 are inserted and held by the corresponding elastic contact pieces 15c and 15d.

The main board 11 is located behind the left connector connecting portion 31 in each power supply unit 1, and the left elastic contact piece 15 c is connected to the connector connecting portion 15 through an opening 36 formed in the main board 11. 31 terminal insertion holes 3
I am facing 2,33.

Here, the restraining pin 26 allows connection only between the power supply units 1 having the same output voltage and prevents restraint of connection of the power supply units 1 having different output voltages. By selecting and moving the position of, a plurality of types of specifications can be supported.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the restraining pin 26 projects from a movable piece 42 slidably mounted in a guide groove 41 formed in the body 24 so as to be vertically slidable.
By selectively engaging the small protrusion 43 provided on the movable piece 42 with any of the positioning recesses 44 formed at the three upper and lower portions of the guide groove 41, the restraining pin 26 can be selectively held at one of the three upper and lower portions. It is possible.

On the other hand, a pin insertion hole 35 formed in each connector connecting portion 31 of each power supply unit 1 is
Three pin insertion holes 45 are formed in the main board 7 so as to face the pin insertion holes 35 of the connector connector 31 on the left side, respectively.

A block-shaped closing member 46 is attached to the left and right sides of the front board 12 so that two of the three pin insertion holes 45 of the main board 11 and three of the left connector connecting portions 31 are provided. By closing two places of the pin insertion holes 35, respectively, and opening only one of the pin insertion holes 45, 35 at the same height position as the restraining pin 26,
It is configured such that only the connector 21 of a kind of specification can be connected to the connector connecting portion 31. In the illustrated example, only the lowermost pin insertion holes 45 and 35 are opened corresponding to the restraining pin 26 set at the lowermost position.

As described above, the check pin 2 is connected to the connector 21.
6 and by setting pin insertion holes 45 and 35 corresponding to the positions of the check pins 26 on the power supply unit side, only the power supply unit 1 of the same specification (same output voltage) can be added. It is.

The left and right sides of each power supply unit 1
A shallow groove 47 communicating with each connector connecting portion 31 is formed. Through this shallow groove 47, the leg 27 of the connector 21 is inserted forward from between the power supply units 1 adjacent to the left and right, and the display unit 28 , So that it is possible to easily visually check whether or not the connector 21 is properly mounted.

An input terminal block 49 screwed to the input socket 13 is provided on the upper front surface of the leftmost power supply unit 1 as the master power supply unit among the plurality of power supply units 1 connected as described above. Deployed,
An output socket 14 is provided at the lower front of each power supply unit 1.
Is provided with an output terminal block 50 screwed to the AC power supply and a load device.

The present invention can be implemented in the following modes.

(1) As shown in FIG. 13, a communication unit 51 is connected to the power supply unit 1 on the right end, and a control signal line L (c) of the power supply unit 1 is connected to a microcomputer 52 built in the communication unit 51. By connecting, the power supply of each power supply unit 1 can be controlled according to the contents of communication with the outside.

(2) As shown in FIG.
And connector 21A from which connection terminal 23 for output is removed
The power supply units 1A having different specifications (output voltages) can be connected in a state where only the AC input is shared, as shown in FIG.

(3) When the connection fitting 15 is used for connecting a signal line, the contact pieces 15c and 15d provided at both ends of the connection fitting 15 are formed into a single elastically deformable tongue piece. The connection terminal 22 inserted in the casing 2,
It is also possible to carry out the embodiment in such a manner that it comes into elastic contact with 23 from one side.

(4) The contact pieces 15c and 15d provided at both ends of the connection fitting 15 are formed as a single tongue-shaped or pin-shaped connection terminal which is not elastically deformed, and the connection terminals 22 and 23 on the connector 21 side. May be configured to be elastically deformable. In this case, the connection terminal 2 on the connector 21 side
2 and 23 are inserted into the casing 2 and the contact pieces 15c and 15
d, and contact pieces 15c and 15d are protruded from the casing 2 so that the connection terminal 2 on the connector 21 side is formed.
A form in which contact and conduction are provided between 2, 23 is conceivable.

[0048]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the connection fitting functions as a circuit forming member for forming an internal bus line and also functions as a bus line connector. There is no need to form a bus line circuit pattern or mount and connect a pair of connectors for the bus line.
In particular, the width can be reduced, which is effective for reducing the overall thickness of the unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single power supply unit viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power supply unit viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the power supply unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a circuit portion.

FIG. 5 is an electric circuit configuration diagram of a power supply unit alone.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing two power supply units and a connector arranged in a connection posture.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a power supply device in which four power supply units are connected in parallel and mounted on a DIN rail.

FIG. 8 is an electric circuit configuration diagram of a power supply device in which four power supply units are connected in parallel;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view and a front view of a connector used for connecting a power supply unit.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a part of a power supply device in which power supply units are connected in parallel;

11 is a sectional view taken along line aa in FIG.

12 is a sectional view taken along line bb in FIG.

FIG. 13 is an electric circuit configuration diagram of a power supply device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a connector according to another embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an electric circuit configuration diagram of a power supply device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a front view of an additional power supply device of a comparative example.

FIG. 17 is an electric circuit configuration diagram of an additional power supply device of a comparative example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Unit (power supply unit) 2 Casing 11 Main board 12 Front board 15 Connection fitting 15a Connection pin 15b Connection pin 15c Contact piece 15d Contact piece 21 Connector 22 Connection terminal 23 Connection terminal 36 Opening

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 4E353 AA05 AA17 AA21 BB02 BB06 CC01 CC13 CC32 CC33 DD05 DD11 DD15 DR03 DR17 DR19 DR22 DR34 DR44 DR57 GG01 GG11 GG12 GG30 4E360 AB12 AB18 AB20 AB23 ED03 ED13 ED17 ED27 GA0 GA52 GA31 GA46 BB31 CC22 DD01 JJ20 JJ30 5E344 AA08 AA26 BB02 BB06 CC05 CD14 CD15 DD08 EE12 EE23

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A connecting member is attached to a front substrate housed in a casing so as to face the front, and the connecting member includes contact pieces for connection with adjacent unit devices at both left and right ends. A unit device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The unit device according to claim 1, wherein the contact piece elastically clamps a connection terminal on the other side. 3. The unit device according to claim 2, wherein the connection metal fitting is formed by bending a conductive metal plate having a spring property to form a connection pin for a front substrate at each bent piece portion. A unit device in which a pair of contact pieces facing each other are formed at left and right ends of a portion. 4. The unit device according to claim 1, wherein a main board housed in a casing so as to face a side surface is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the front board, and the connecting fitting is provided with the main board. A unit device for forming connection pins for the main board and connecting the main board and the front board via the connection fitting. 5. The unit device according to claim 4, wherein one of the contact pieces of the connection fitting comes into contact with a connection terminal on the other side through an opening formed in the main substrate.