JP2020087995A - Coupler and connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coupler and a connection structure which can reduce a user's work load for electrical connection and can also reduce a manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A coupler 1 for electrical connection using electromagnetic induction includes a coupler body 11 formed of a hollow insulating material, and an induction coil 12 wound around the outer wall surface of the coupler body 11 in accordance with the shape of the coupler body 11, and the coupler body 11 has an inviting shape to invite another induction coil wound around another coupler body having the same shape as the coupler body 11 to the inside of the coupler body 11 such that the central axis of the other induction coil approaches the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a coupler and a connection structure for making electrical connection by utilizing electromagnetic induction.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a connection structure using a coupler that electrically connects using electromagnetic induction (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In each of these connection structures, the coupler has a coil. Then, by bringing the coils of the respective couplers for transmission and reception close to each other, it is possible to send an electric signal or power from the coupler on the transmission side to the coupler on the reception side by electromagnetic induction between the coils.

JP, 11-134447, A JP, 2007-149872, A

Here, in order to effectively perform electrical connection using the above-mentioned coupler, it is necessary to position the couplers of the transmitting and receiving couplers so that the coils of the couplers are close to each other. However, at present, the configuration is such that the user has a heavy work load for consciously performing positioning, or such a work load is reduced, but the connection structure using the coupler is complicated and the manufacturing cost tends to increase. It often becomes.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a coupler and a connection structure which pay attention to the above-mentioned problems and can reduce a user's work load for electrical connection and a manufacturing cost.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the coupler of the present invention is a coupler for making an electrical connection by utilizing electromagnetic induction, and a coupler body formed in a hollow shape with an insulating material, and a shape of the coupler body. Along with an induction coil wound around the outer wall surface of the coupler body, or wound around the inner wall surface, or embedded in the wall and wound, the coupler body, the coupler body and Having another induction coil wound around another coupler body of the same shape, having a guiding shape that is guided inside the coupler body so that the central axis of the other induction coil approaches the central axis of the induction coil. It has a feature.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the connection structure of the present invention is a connection structure for making an electrical connection by utilizing electromagnetic induction, comprising a plurality of couplers of the present invention described above, a plurality of the couplers , One of the couplers is stacked so as to enter the inside of the other coupler, and is electrically connected to each other.

By preparing a plurality of couplers of the present invention, and by covering one coupler with another coupler, the induction coils are brought close to each other, and electrical connection using electromagnetic induction between the induction coils is performed. Become. At this time, the coupler main body around which the induction coil is wound has a guiding shape in which another induction coil wound around another coupler main body of the same shape is guided inside the coupler main body so that their central axes approach each other. is doing. As a result, the user only has to cover one coupler with the other coupler, and the induction coils are brought close to each other according to the guiding shape, and they are positioned in a state suitable for electrical connection using electromagnetic induction. The Rukoto.

Further, according to the coupler of the present invention, as the plurality of couplers connected to each other, couplers having the same configuration can be used. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed as compared with the case of using a plurality of types of couplers having different configurations.

As described above, according to the coupler of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the user's work load for electrical connection and also reduce the manufacturing cost.

Further, according to the coupler of the present invention, since the coupler body is hollow, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering between the couplers when the coupler body is covered by another coupler having the same structure for connection.

Further, according to the connection structure of the present invention, since the above-described coupler of the present invention is used, it is possible to reduce the work burden on the user for electrical connection and also reduce the manufacturing cost.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the coupler concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the connection structure comprised using two couplers shown by FIG. 1 in the state which the two couplers were mutually separated. FIG. 3 shows the connection structure shown in FIG. 2 with two couplers connected to each other. It is a figure which shows the connection structure comprised using three couplers shown by FIG. 1 in the state which the three couplers were mutually separated. It is a figure which shows the connection structure shown by FIG. 5 in the state in which three couplers were connected. It is a schematic diagram which shows the coupler concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the coupler concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the coupler concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the coupler concerning 5th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state where one locking lance is locked to the other lance receiving portion when a plurality of couplers shown in FIG. 9 are stacked and another coupler main body enters the inside of one coupler main body. Is.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First, the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a coupler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the coupler 1 is shown in a perspective view from above and a perspective view from below.

The coupler 1 is for making electrical connection using electromagnetic induction, and includes a coupler body 11 and an induction coil 12.

The coupler body 11 is a hollow member made of an insulating resin as an insulating material. The coupler main body 11 has a guiding shape in which another induction coil wound around another coupler main body having the same shape as the coupler main body 11 is guided inward as follows. That is, the center axis of the other induction coil has a guiding shape that is guided inside the coupler body 11 so as to approach the center axis 12a of the induction coil 12 wound around the coupler body 11. Specifically, this guiding shape is a hollow cone shape.

The induction coil 12 is a copper wire wound in a conical spiral shape on the outer wall surface of the coupler body 11 along the hollow conical shape. The induction coil 12 is formed so that the straight line portion 121 along the generatrix of the coupler body 11 reaches the lead wire 123 in a state of being sandwiched between the coil portion 122 and the side surface of the coupler body 11.

In addition, in FIG. 1, the induction coil 12 is drawn thick. Therefore, the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12 wound along the shape of the coupler body 11 is displaced from the central axis of the coupler body 11 depending on the thickness of the straight line portion 121. However, in practice, the thickness of the induction coil 12 is sufficiently smaller than the size of the coupler body 11, and the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12 is substantially concentric with the central axis of the coupler body 11.

In the present embodiment, the connection structure for making an electrical connection is configured using the coupler 1 as follows.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a connection structure formed by using two couplers shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the two couplers are separated from each other. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the connection structure shown in FIG. 2 with two couplers connected to each other.

In the connection structure 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two couplers 1 enter one inside the other coupler 1 as shown by an arrow D11 in FIG. It is constructed by stacking. Due to this stacking, the induction coils 12 of the two couplers 1 are brought close to each other, so that the two induction coils 12 are electrically connected to each other in a non-contact manner. Further, in the connection structure 10, the two couplers 1 are stacked so that the lead wires 123 of the two couplers 1 face in the opposite direction by approximately 180° in the circumferential direction D12 of the induction coil 12. This connection structure 10 sends an electric signal or power supplied to one lead wire 123 to the other lead wire 123 in a non-contact manner by electromagnetic induction between the two induction coils 12. Either of the two couplers 1 may be the transmission side or the reception side.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connection structure formed by using the three couplers shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the three couplers are separated from each other. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the connection structure shown in FIG. 5 with three couplers connected.

In the connection structure 15 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the three couplers 1 enter one inside the other coupler 1 as shown by an arrow D13 in FIG. By being stacked like this, they are electrically connected to each other. In addition, in the connection structure 15, the three couplers 1 are stacked so that the lead wires 123 of the three couplers 1 face in different directions every 90° in the circumferential direction D12 of the induction coil 12. This connection structure 10 branches an electric signal or electric power supplied to one lead wire 123 to the lead wires 123 of the other two induction coils 12 by electromagnetic induction between the three induction coils 12 and is not in contact. It is sent by. Any one of the three couplers 1 may be the transmission side and the other two may be the reception side.

According to the coupler 1 and the connection structures 10 and 15 of the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the present embodiment, by covering the one coupler 1 with the other coupler 1, the induction coils 12 come close to each other, and the electrical connection using electromagnetic induction between the induction coils 12 is achieved. Will be done. At this time, the coupler main body 11 around which the induction coil 12 is wound has the other induction coil 12 wound around another coupler main body 11 of the same shape inside the coupler main body 11 so that their central axes 12a approach each other. It has a shape that invites to. That is, when the induction coil 12 wound in a conical spiral shape enters the inside of the coupler body 11 having a hollow conical shape, specifically, the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12 on the entry side is the coupler. It is substantially concentric with the central axis of the main body 11. Since the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12 is substantially concentric with the central axis of the coupler body 11 around which the induction coil 12 is wound, the central axis 12a of the induction coil 12 is substantially concentric on the entry side and the entry side. Becomes As a result, the user only needs to cover one coupler 1 with the other coupler 1 to bring the induction coils 12 closer to each other in accordance with the shape of the coupler body 11 to be guided, thereby achieving electrical connection using electromagnetic induction. It will be positioned in a suitable state.

Further, according to the present embodiment, as the plurality of couplers 1 connected to each other, the couplers 1 having the same configuration can be used. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed as compared with the case of using a plurality of types of couplers 1 having different configurations.

As described above, according to the coupler 1 and the connection structures 10 and 15 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the work burden on the user for electrical connection and also reduce the manufacturing cost.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the coupler body 11 is hollow, when the coupler body 1 is covered with another coupler 1 having the same structure for connection, foreign matter is prevented from entering between the couplers 1. You can also

Here, in this embodiment, the guide shape in the coupler body 1 is a hollow cone shape.

According to the present embodiment, the inductive coil 12 that has entered can be effectively attracted along the hollow conical inner slope of the coupler body 11. Further, the coupler body 11 around which the induction coil 12 is wound can be easily rotated in the circumferential direction D12 of the induction coil 12. Thereby, the position of the lead wire 123 of the induction coil 12 can be easily set to a desired position by rotating the coupler body 11.

Further, in this embodiment, the coupler body 11 is made of an insulating resin.

Insulating materials include materials other than resin, such as insulating metal and paper, but compared to these materials, insulating resin has material cost, ease of manufacture, and strength when the coupler body is formed. It is preferable in terms of the above.

Further, in the present embodiment, the connection structure 15 can be configured by stacking the three couplers 1 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

According to the present embodiment, by stacking the three couplers 1 in this manner, the electric signal or power supplied from one coupler 1 can be branched and sent to the other two couplers 1.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a coupler according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The coupler 2 of the second embodiment is different from the coupler 1 of the first embodiment in the shape of the induction coil 22 wound around the conical body 21 of the coupler. In the present embodiment, the induction coil 22 is formed such that the straight line portion 221 along the generatrix of the coupler body 21 reaches the lead wire 223 along the outer surface of the spiral coil portion 222.

It goes without saying that the second embodiment can also reduce the manufacturing cost as well as the user's work load for the electrical connection, as in the first embodiment described above.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a coupler according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The coupler 3 of the third embodiment is different from the coupler 1 of the first embodiment in the position around which the induction coil 32 is wound. In the present embodiment, the induction coil 32 is wound around the inner wall surface of the coupler body 31 along the shape of the hollow cone. The lead wire 323 extends from the lower end edge of the coupler body 31 to the outside. In this embodiment, the linear portion 321 of the induction coil 32 is arranged inside the coil portion 322, but the linear portion 321 is guided so as to be sandwiched between the inner wall surface of the coupler body 31 and the coil portion 322. The coil 32 may be configured.

It goes without saying that the third embodiment can also reduce the work burden on the user for the electrical connection and the manufacturing cost as in the first embodiment.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a coupler according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The coupler 4 of the fourth embodiment is different from the coupler 1 of the first embodiment in the position around which the induction coil 42 is wound. In this embodiment, the hollow cone-shaped coupler body 41 is formed thick. Then, the induction coil 42 is embedded in the wall of the coupler body 41 and wound around the hollow conical body of the coupler body 41. The lead wire 423 extends from the side surface of the coupler body 41 to the outside. The induction coil 42 is embedded by, for example, insert molding or the like in which a copper wire previously formed in a coil shape is set in the mold of the coupler body 41 and an insulating resin is poured. Further, in the present embodiment, the linear portion 421 of the induction coil 42 is arranged inside the coil portion 422 and between the inner wall surface of the coupler body 41, but the linear portion 421 is arranged between the outer wall surface of the coupler body 41. The induction coil 42 may be configured so as to be arranged at.

It goes without saying that the fourth embodiment can also reduce the work burden on the user for electrical connection and the manufacturing cost, as in the above-described first embodiment.

Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a coupler according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In the coupler 5 of the fifth embodiment, a locking lance 511 and a lance receiving portion 512 are provided on the coupler body 51 having a hollow conical shape.

A plurality of the locking lances 511 are arranged on the outer wall surface of the coupler body 51 on the tip side that is pulled out from the induction coil 52. Each locking lance 511 is a cantilever-shaped portion in which the end on the tip side of the coupler body 51 is a fixed end integrated with the outer wall surface of the coupler body 51 and the other end is a free end. Each locking lance 511 is flexible in the direction in which its free end comes into contact with and separates from the outer wall surface of the coupler body 51. A plurality of the locking lances 511 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the coupler body 51.

The lance receiving portion 512 is a concave step portion arranged on the inner wall surface of the coupler body 51 on the distal end side of the hollow cone shape, and is provided so as to go around the inner wall surface in the circumferential direction of the coupler body 51. When a plurality of couplers 5 are stacked and another coupler main body 51 enters inside, the locking lance 511 of the other coupler main body 51 can be locked.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which one locking lance is locked to the other lance receiving portion when a plurality of couplers shown in FIG. 9 are stacked and another coupler main body enters the inside of one coupler main body. It is a schematic diagram which shows.

When the couplers 5 are stacked as indicated by an arrow D51 in FIG. 10, another coupler body 51 enters the inside of one coupler body 51. Then, the free end of the locking lance 511 of the entered coupler body 51 contacts the inner wall surface of the entered coupler body 51 and bends. When the free end of the locking lance 511 passes through as it is and the free end of the locking lance 511 crosses over the lower end of the concave lance receiving part 512, the free end moves back and is locked to the lower end of the lance receiving part 512.

Here, the entrance of the coupler main body 51 is stopped when the induction coil 52 of the entrance-side coupler 5 comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the coupler main body 51 of the entrance-side coupler 5. The locking lance 511 and the lance receiving portion 512 are formed such that the free end of the locking lance 511 is locked to the lower end portion of the lance receiving portion 512 immediately before the entrance of the coupler body 51 is stopped.

It goes without saying that the fifth embodiment can also reduce the work load on the user for electrical connection and the manufacturing cost, as in the above-described first embodiment.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the plurality of couplers 5 are stacked, the locking lance 511 of one coupler 5 is locked to the lance receiving portion 512 of the other coupler 5, so that it is effective. Both can be mechanically coupled in a state in which they are prevented from coming off.

The first to fifth embodiments described above merely show typical forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. As a matter of course, such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention as long as the configurations of the coupler and the connecting method of the present invention are provided.

For example, in the above-described first embodiment, as an example of the connection structure according to the present invention, the connection structures 10 and 15 configured by stacking a plurality of couplers 1 having the same configuration are illustrated. However, the connection structure according to the present invention is not limited to this, and is configured by stacking couplers having different configurations, for example, the couplers 1,..., 4 of the first to fourth embodiments. May be

In the above-described first embodiment, as an example of the connection structure according to the present invention, the connection structure 10 configured by stacking two couplers 1 and the connection structure 15 configured by stacking three couplers 1 are stacked. And are illustrated. The connection structure according to the present invention is not limited to these, and may be configured by stacking four or more couplers.

Further, in the above-described first to fifth embodiments, a hollow cone shape is illustrated as an example of the guiding shape referred to in the present invention. However, the guiding shape referred to in the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a hollow truncated cone shape, a hollow pyramid shape, a hollow truncated pyramid shape, or the like. Alternatively, it may be a hollow hemispherical dome shape or the like. However, by making the guiding shape a hollow cone shape or a hollow truncated cone shape, the induction coil that has entered can be effectively attracted and the position of the lead wire of the induction coil can be easily set to the desired position by rotating the coupler body. It is as described above that it can be set to.

1,2,3,4,5 Coupler 10,15 Connection structure 11,21,31,41,51 Coupler body 12,22,32,42,52 Induction coil 12a Central axis 121,221,321,421 Straight part 122 , 222, 322, 422 Coil part 123, 223, 323, 423 Leader wire 511 Locking lance 512 Lance receiving part D12 Circumferential direction

Claims (6)

A coupler for making an electrical connection using electromagnetic induction,
A coupler body formed in the hollow with an insulating material,
According to the shape of the coupler body, an induction coil wound around the outer wall surface of the coupler body, or wound around the inner wall surface, or embedded in the wall and wound,
The coupler body is another induction coil wound around another coupler body having the same shape as the coupler body, and the center axis of the other induction coil approaches the center axis of the induction coil. A coupler characterized by having a shape for guiding inward. The coupler according to claim 1, wherein the guiding shape is a hollow cone shape or a hollow truncated cone shape. The coupler body according to claim 1, wherein the coupler body is made of an insulating resin. In the coupler body,
A locking lance arranged on the outer wall surface of the coupler body,
A lance receiving portion that is arranged on the inner wall surface of the coupler body and can be locked by a locking lance arranged on the outer wall surface of the other coupler body,
The coupler according to claim 1, wherein the coupler is provided. A connection structure for making an electrical connection using electromagnetic induction,
A plurality of couplers according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are provided,
The connection structure, wherein the plurality of couplers are electrically connected to each other by stacking one coupler so as to enter the inside of the other coupler. The connection structure according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of couplers are three or more couplers.

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