JP2009105244A - Bus extension structure of control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange a first connector and a second connector, mounted on a single substrate, back to back on a pair of opposite case walls although a bus extension structure of a plurality of control units constituted such that the plurality of control units are arranged in parallel and a bus is extended by connector-connecting control units on the opposite bonded case walls can be manufactured at a low price. <P>SOLUTION: The first connector 24 coupled and fixed to a substrate 21 is disposed to be exposed to outside one of the case side walls in a unit parallel direction, and a cable 26 lead out of the second connector 25 which can be connected to and separated from the first connector 24 is connected to the substrate 21, and the second connector 25 is supported on the case side wall to be exposed to outside the other case side wall in the unit parallel direction, and the first connector 24 and second connector 25 are disposed back to back at mutually opposite positions of the opposite case side walls of the control units 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bus expansion of a control unit configured to expand a bus by arranging a plurality of control units having a box-shaped case in parallel and connecting the control units to each other on the oppositely stacked case walls. Concerning structure.

  In the bus expansion structure, in order to connect the control units of various functions in parallel sequentially, it is necessary to position the male and female connectors that make a pair on the case side wall in the unit parallel direction of each control unit. As an example, a card edge type connector with a female connector on one end side of the board is formed by protruding a part of one end side of the board incorporated in the case from the case side wall to form a male connector. The one configured to be used has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

When a card edge type connector is used, it is necessary to incorporate the board in a posture along the unit parallel direction, and the size of the board is determined by the width of the control unit in the unit parallel direction. Generally, a stacking expansion type (stackable) control unit is often used having a narrow width in the unit parallel direction, and when a card edge type connector as described above is used, the board constituting the connector is small in width. The mounting area will be small. Therefore, in order to build a control circuit with a large capacity by mounting a large amount of control components on the control unit, it is necessary to separately connect a circuit board with a card edge type connector by incorporating a circuit board with a large area. The structure was complicated and expensive.
JP 2001-265410 A

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a situation, and has a simple structure and can be manufactured at a low cost, while the paired male and female connectors are back-to-back on the side walls of the case in the unit parallel direction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bus expansion structure for a control unit that can be deployed in the network.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control unit configured such that a plurality of control units each having a box-shaped case are arranged in parallel, and the control units are connected to each other on the oppositely joined case walls so as to extend the bus. In the bus expansion structure,
A board to which the first connector is connected and fixed is incorporated in the case, and the first connector is disposed so as to be exposed outwardly from one case side wall in the unit parallel direction, and can be connected to and separated from the first connector. Is connected to the board, and the second connector is supported on the case side wall so as to be exposed outward from the other case side wall in the unit parallel direction. The first connector and the second connector are arranged in a back-to-back state at positions facing each other.

  According to this configuration, the second connector connected to the substrate via the cable can arbitrarily set the installation position with respect to the case side wall, so that the first connector and the second connector are respectively attached to the opposing case side walls. Can be installed back to back.

  As the second connector, an existing cable connector that can be obtained at low cost can be used, which is effective in reducing the cost of the control unit.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The case of the control unit is configured in a flat box shape having a narrow width in the unit parallel direction, and the substrate is assembled and supported on the case so that the front and back surfaces are directed in the unit parallel direction.

  According to this configuration, a large board close to the area of the case side wall facing in the unit parallel direction can be incorporated, and a large-capacity bus can be constructed.

According to a third invention, in the first or second invention,
The second connector is connected and supported by a wall piece that is detachably connected to the case side wall.

  According to this configuration, in assembling the control unit, the wall piece can be connected to the case side wall after the second connector is attached to the wall piece removed from the case side wall, so that the cable can be made as short as possible. The second connector can be easily attached to the case side wall from the inside.

According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
The cable is connected to a board surface opposite to the board surface on which the first connector is mounted.

  According to this configuration, a short cable can be used because it is not necessary to largely route the cable.

According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
A ferrite ring is externally attached to the cable.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to remove noise in the cable by the ferrite ring, and it is possible to transmit a suitable signal.

In a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect,
The ferrite ring is held and supported by a holding member, and the holding member is latched and supported by a case side wall.

  According to this configuration, the position of the ferrite ring and the cable is held by the holding member, and it is possible to avoid the ferrite ring and the cable from unduly swinging and coming into contact with other electronic components on the substrate.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a bus expansion structure for a control unit in which a pair of male and female connectors can be deployed in a back-to-back state on the side walls of a unit in parallel with the unit while being simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a perspective view of the entire building block type programmable controller as viewed from the front, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire programmable controller as viewed from the rear, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the programmable controller, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the controller, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the expansion control unit as viewed from the left side, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of the expansion control unit, and FIG. Further, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the board provided with the connector and the wall piece, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the wall piece attachment portion, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the second connector held by the wall piece. In the following, for convenience of understanding, a reference figure number is appropriately inserted and described.

  Referring to these drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, the programmable controller according to the embodiment includes a main control unit 1 and two expansion control units 2 (1) and 2 (2) in parallel in the left-right direction. Then, it is mounted on a support rail 3 that is horizontally fixed to a control panel (not shown).

  The case 4 of the main control unit 1 is formed in a box shape that is wide in the left-right direction by joining and connecting the case body 4a and the front case 4b, and each case 5 of the expansion control units 2 (1), 2 (2). Is formed in a flat box shape having a narrow width in the left-right direction (unit parallel direction) by joining and connecting the left split case 5a and the right split case 5b.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an engagement portion 7 provided with a downward groove 6 locked on the upper side of the support rail 3 from above on the back surfaces of the cases 4 and 5, and a lower side of the support rail 3 from below. Each of the movable locking pieces 8 to be slidably locked is provided, and the movable locking piece 8 is slid up and down to attach the case 4 of the control unit 1 and the case 5 of the control unit 2 to any support rail 3. It can be attached to and detached from the position.

  As shown in FIG. 3, two substrates 14 are assembled in a vertical orientation inside the case 4 of the main control unit 1, and a vertically long input / output is provided on the front surface of the case 4 as shown in FIG. Connector 9, input / output port 10, on / off switch 11, and monitor lamp 12 group, and as shown in FIG. A female connector (having the same specifications as a second connector described later) 13 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, a single substrate 21 is installed in a vertical orientation inside the case 5 in the expansion control units 2 (1) and 2 (2). As shown in FIG. 1, a vertically long input / output connector 22 and a group of monitor lamps 23 are provided on the front surface. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, a male first connector 24 having a large number of connection pins 24 a is arranged at the back side portion of the left side surface of the case 5, and the right side surface of the case 5 is The female second connectors 25 that are paired with the first connector 24 are provided in the back side, respectively, in a back-to-back state.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the input / output connector 22 is attached and fixed to the front end side of the substrate 21, and the input / output connector 22 is exposed to the front surface of the case when the substrate 21 is assembled to the case 5. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first connector 24 is mounted and fixed in a vertically long posture on the left side surface of the substrate 21, and a cable 26 is led out from an appropriate position on the right side surface of the substrate 21. The second connector 25 is connected and supported.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the substrate 21 is assembled to the case 5, the first connector 24 is inserted through the opening 27 formed in the case side wall of the left divided case 5a and protrudes out of the case. On the other hand, the second connector 25 is arranged so as to stand without projecting into the opening 28 formed in the case side wall of the right split case 5b.

  As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, a notch 29 is formed from the back end of the case side wall to the back wall of the right split case 5 b, and an L shape is formed so as to close the notch 29. The wall piece 30 is fixed detachably. The wall piece 30 is slidably guided from the lateral outer side through a pair of upper and lower protrusions 31 formed on the opening edge of the notch 29 and guide grooves 32 formed on the upper and lower ends of the wall piece 30. A pair of upper and lower connecting claws 33 are fixed to the case side wall of the right split case 5b. Inside the wall piece 30, the second connector 25 is fitted and fixed in a fixed posture via the upper and lower positioning pieces 34 and the upper and lower connecting claws 35, and the second connector 25 is inserted into the opening 28 formed in the wall piece 30. A connector 25 is provided to the right and outward.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first connector 24 and the second connector 25 attached to the left and right case side walls facing the case 5 in this way are installed so that they are positioned back to back. By connecting the expansion control unit 2 in parallel to the right of the main control unit 1, the first connector 24 protruding from the left side surface of the control unit 2 is connected to the connector 13 adjacent to the right side surface of the control unit 1. Plug-in connection. Also, by joining the next control unit to the right side of the expansion control unit 2 connected to the control unit 1, the second connector 25 of the left control unit 2 (1) is connected to the right control unit 2 ( The first connector 24 of 2) is inserted and connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, a connecting piece 36 formed in a bowl shape is provided above and below the left side surface of the control unit 2, and positioning pins 37 are provided at the four corners of the right side surface. Further, the right side surfaces of the control units 1 and 2 are respectively provided with a connection hole 38 into which the connection piece 36 can be inserted and a pin hole 39 into which the positioning pin 37 can be inserted. , 2 are positioned and joined in parallel through the positioning pins 37 and the pin holes 39, and then the locking pieces 40 mounted on the upper and lower sides of the cases 4 and 5 are slid to connect the connecting pieces 36 inserted into the connecting holes 38. By being locked, the connection piece 36 is prevented from coming out of the connection hole 38 and the connected state of the control units 1 and 2 is maintained.

  When assembling the control unit 2, first, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 10, the second connector 25 is fitted and mounted on the wall piece 30 removed from the case wall. The mounted wall piece 30 is mounted in the notch 29 of the right split case 5b. Next, while inserting the first connector 24 into the opening 27 of the left split case 5a, the periphery of the board 21 is locked and positioned on the support rib 41 provided in the case, and the left and right split cases 5a and 5b are joined and connected to each other. The assembly of the control unit 2 is completed by connecting.

  The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a ferrite ring 42 may be externally attached to the cable 26 to remove noise. In this case, the ferrite ring 42 is held by the holding member 43 and supported, and the connecting claw 44 provided on the holding member 43 is locked to the case side wall of the right split case 5b, so that the ferrite ring 42 and the cable 26 are swung. Can be held without.

  Further, the cable 26 is connected to the board surface (left face) on which the first connector 24 is mounted, and the cable 26 is made to wrap around the edge of the board 21 or through the slits or notches formed in the board 21. It can also be implemented in the form of extending to the opposite side (right side).

  Further, contrary to the above embodiment, the first connector 24 can be a female type and the second connector 25 can be a male type.

It is the perspective view which looked at the whole expansion type unit from the front. It is the perspective view which looked at the whole expansion type unit from back. It is a schematic plan view of the whole expansion type unit. It is a side view of an expansion type unit. It is the perspective view which looked at the control unit for expansion from the left side. It is a cross-sectional plan view of the control unit for expansion. It is a vertical front view of the control unit for expansion. It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate provided with the connector, and a wall piece. It is a disassembled perspective view of a wall surface piece attachment location. It is a perspective view of the 2nd connector hold | maintained at the wall piece. It is a perspective view of the 2nd connector equipped with a ferrite ring. It is a cross-sectional top view of the control unit incorporating a ferrite ring.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main control unit 2 Control unit for expansion 3 Support rail 4 Case of main control unit 1 4a Case body of main control unit 1 4b Front case of main control unit 1 5 Case of control unit 2 for expansion 5a Control unit 2 for expansion Left split case 5b Right split case of expansion control unit 2 6 Downward groove 7 Engaging portion 8 Movable locking piece 9 Input / output connector 10 Input / output port 11 Switch 12 Monitor lamp 13 Female connector 14 Substrate 21 Substrate 22 Input / output Connector 23 monitor lamp 24 first connector 24a connecting pin 25 second connector 26 cable 27 opening 28 opening 29 notch 30 wall piece 31 ridge 32 guide groove 33 connecting claw 34 positioning piece 35 connecting claw 36 connecting piece 37 positioning pin 38 Connecting hole 39 Pin hole 40 Lot Piece 41 supporting ribs 42 the ferrite ring 43 retaining member 44 connecting claw

Claims (6)

In the bus expansion structure of the control unit having a configuration in which a plurality of control units having a box-shaped case are arranged in parallel, and the control units are connected to each other in the oppositely bonded case walls,
The board to which the first connector is connected and fixed is incorporated in the case,
The first connector is disposed so as to be exposed outward from one case wall facing the unit parallel direction,
Connecting the cable derived from the second connector connectable to the first connector to the substrate,
The second connector is supported on the case wall so as to be exposed outward from the other case side wall in the unit parallel direction,
The first connector and the second connector are arranged in a back-to-back state at opposite positions of the opposite case side walls in the same control unit.
A control unit bus expansion structure.   The case of the control unit is configured in a flat box shape having a narrow width in the unit parallel direction, and the substrate is assembled and supported on the case so that the front and back surfaces thereof face the unit parallel direction. The bus expansion structure of the control unit according to 1.   3. The control unit bus expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the second connector is connected to and supported by a wall piece removably connected to the case side wall.   4. The control unit bus expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the cable is connected to a board surface opposite to the board surface on which the first connector is mounted.   5. The control unit bus expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein a ferrite ring is externally attached to the cable.   6. The bus expansion structure for a control unit according to claim 5, wherein the ferrite ring is held and supported by a holding member, and the holding member is latched and supported on the side wall of the case.

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