JP2938780B2 - Parallel multi-core cable interconnection connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parallel multi-core cable interconnection connector for electrically connecting a parallel multi-core trunk cable and a parallel multi-core branch cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in FA (factory automation), by connecting a control unit and a plurality of input / output devices with a cable, a signal between the control unit and the input / output device is transmitted through the cable. Transmission is performed.

However, when a cable is connected between the control unit and the input / output device, it is necessary to connect the same number of cables between the input / output device and the control unit as the number of input / output devices. As the number of devices increases, the wiring of cables becomes more troublesome and the wiring space increases.

Therefore, in recent years, there has been provided a wiring-saving apparatus for transmitting signals between a control unit and an input / output device with a minimum number of signal lines. Application for Japanese Utility Model Application No. 5-42049 was filed. As shown in FIG. 16, a cover 3 is attached to a housing 2 provided with a plurality of contact members 1 from above and below, and a multi-core parallel member is provided between the lower surface of the housing 2 and the cover 3. The trunk cable 4 is clamped, and a parallel multi-core branch cable 5 is clamped between the upper surface of the housing 2 and the cover 3.

Accordingly, when the trunk cable 4 and the branch cable 5 are sandwiched between the housing 2 and the cover 3, the trunk cable 4 and the branch cable 5 are electrically connected through the contact member 1.

In this case, the housing 2 and the cover 3
It is configured to be in a temporary engagement state before the two are completely engaged.
5 and the connector can be adjusted. When the covers 3 in the temporarily engaged state are strongly pressed, the housing 2 and the cover 3 are completely integrated and fixed, and the contact members 1 bite into the cables 4 and 5 and are crimped. 4 and the branch cable 5 can be electrically connected through the contact member 1.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the end of the branch cable 5 is clamped between the housing 2 and the cover 3, so that the branch cable 5 is connected to the housing 2 and the cover 3. The positional relationship between them becomes unstable until they are completely clamped. For this reason,
When the work is performed in a place where the connection work of the cable is difficult (a place that is difficult to reach, a narrow place, or the like), the workability is significantly reduced, or the branch cable 5 is displaced from a regular position, and the cable 4, There is a disadvantage that the electrical connection between the five is uncertain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a structure for electrically connecting a trunk cable and a branch cable, thereby securely connecting the branch cable and the trunk cable while improving workability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a parallel multi-core cable interconnecting connector that can be used.

[0009]

The parallel multi-core cable interconnection connector of the present invention comprises a first cable receiving portion for receiving a parallel multi-core trunk cable and a second cable receiving portion for receiving a parallel multi-core branch cable. And a plurality of contact members that protrude from the first and second cable receiving portions in a state penetrating the housing and that are crimped in a conductive state with the trunk cable and the branch cable, A trunk cable cover having a cable receiving portion for receiving a trunk cable is provided corresponding to the first cable receiving portion, and a cable receiving portion for receiving a branch cable is formed corresponding to the second cable receiving portion. The branch cable cover is provided with holding means for holding the branch cable, and the branch cable cover is provided with the holding means. The branch cable held by means provided positioning means for positioning said cable receiving portion, is provided with a fixing means for integrating the said housing and the cover (claim 1).

[0010] In the above configuration, the branch cable cover may be provided with a closing portion for closing a distal end of the branch cable received by the cable receiving portion.

Further, the positioning means may comprise a plurality of legs provided corresponding to the corners of the cable receiving portion.

Further, the holding means comprises a clamp piece provided on the branch cable cover so as to be openable and closable, and holds the branch cable received by the cable receiving portion in a clamped state of the clamp piece. (Claim 4).

The clamp piece may be provided on the cable receiving portion side.

[0014]

In the case of the connector for interconnecting parallel multi-core cables according to claim 1, when the parallel multi-core trunk cable and the parallel multi-core branch cable are electrically connected, the trunk cable cover is used. The trunk cable is held by the holding means in a state where the trunk cable is received in the cable receiving section, and the branch cable is held by the holding means in a state where the branch cable is received in the cable receiving section of the branch cable cover. At this time, the tip of the branch cable held by the branch cable cover is positioned in the cable receiving portion by the positioning means.

Subsequently, when the covers holding the trunk cable or the branch cable are mounted on the housing, the covers and the housing are fixed by the fixing means. At this time, since the trunk cable and the branch cable are respectively pressed between the housing and the cover, the contact member is crimped to the trunk cable and the branch cable, and the trunk cable and the branch cable are electrically connected through the contact member. Connected.

Since the branch cable held by the branch cable cover is positioned at the cable receiving portion by the positioning means, the trunk cable and the branch cable can be easily connected to each other even in a place where cable connection work is difficult. Can be reliably electrically connected.

In the case of the parallel multi-core cable interconnecting connector according to the second aspect, when the branch cable is held on the cover by the holding means, the branch cable is held in a state where the end of the branch cable is in contact with the closing portion. This makes it possible to easily position the branch cable with respect to the cover.

In the state where the branch cable is held by the branch cable cover by the holding means, the tip of the branch cable is closed by the closing portion, so that the tip of the branch cable can be protected.

In the case of the parallel multi-core cable interconnecting connector according to the third aspect, when the branch cable is mounted on the branch cable cover by the holding means, the cable is provided corresponding to the corner of the cable receiving portion. Since the positioning is performed by the plurality of legs, the displacement of the branch cable can be reliably prevented with a simple configuration.

In the case of the parallel multi-core cable interconnection connector according to the fourth aspect, in order to hold the branch cable on the branch cable cover, the clamp piece is clamped while the branch cable is received in the cable receiving portion. The branch cable can be held with one touch by the piece.

In the case of the parallel multi-core cable interconnecting connector according to the fifth aspect, since the clamp piece is provided on the cable receiving portion side, in the case where the branch cable cover is mounted on the housing, the branch cable cover is attached to the housing. The provided clamp piece is located inside. Thereby, the appearance of the connector can be improved by concealing the clamp piece from the outside.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1 showing the whole disassembled,
The connector 11 is configured by attaching a trunk cable cover 13 and a branch cable cover 14 to the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 12, respectively.

First, the housing 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 shows the upper surface of the housing 12, and FIG. 3 shows the lower surface of the housing. 2 and 3, a first cable receiving portion 15 and a second cable receiving portion 16 each having a rectangular planar shape are formed on the lower surface and the upper surface of the housing 12, respectively. Four locking holes 17 are formed corresponding to the 16 corners.

A contact member 18 made of a copper alloy is insert-molded in the housing 12, and both ends of each contact member 18 are connected to the first and second cable receiving portions 15.
, And 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, the contact member 18 has V-shaped cut portions 18a formed at both ends and a slit portion 18b connected to the cut portions 18a. 18a and slit part 18
b is exposed from the housing 12.

The contact member 18 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, every other contact member 18 is arranged so as not to interfere with each other.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, a side surface of the housing 12 is connected vertically in the drawing to form a first fixing means.
Are formed, and a pair of guide portions 22 straddling the respective ridge portions 19, 20, 21 are separated by a predetermined distance. It is formed to project laterally.

Next, the trunk cable cover 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the lower surface of the trunk cable cover 13, and FIG. 6 shows the upper surface of the trunk cable cover 13.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, a rectangular flat cable receiving portion 23 is formed on the upper surface of the trunk cable cover 13, and a groove portion 24 crossing the cable receiving portion 23 is separated by a predetermined distance. It is formed in the state where it was done. In this case, the groove 24 is formed corresponding to the position of the contact member 18 provided on the housing 12.

In the trunk cable cover 13, one engaging piece 25 as a fixing means is integrally formed in the center of one side face, and a pair of engaging pieces as a fixing means is formed at the other side end. 26 are integrally formed. At the tips of the engagement pieces 25, 26, engagement claws 25 pointing inward are provided.
a, 26a are respectively formed, and an engaging projection 27 pointing outward is formed at the center of the outer surface of the engaging piece 25.

Here, an engaging wall portion 28 is bridged between the pair of engaging pieces 26. A concave portion 29 corresponding to the shape of the engaging piece 25 is formed at the center of the inner surface of the engaging wall portion 28, and an inclined surface 30 corresponding to the shape of the engaging protrusion 27 is formed at an end of the concave portion 29. Are formed. A bulging portion 31 is formed on the lower surface of the trunk cable cover 13.

On the other hand, a concave cable fixing portion 32 is formed so as to be continuous with the cable receiving portion 23 of the trunk cable cover 13, and a clamp piece 33 as a holding means is provided at one upper end of the cable fixing portion 32. It is formed integrally. In this case, an engagement claw 32a is formed on the inner surface of the other upper end of the cable fixing portion 32, and the engagement claw 3a is formed.
When the tip of the clamp piece 33 is engaged with 2a, a clamp state is established. The connecting portion between the cable fixing portion 32 and the clamp piece 33 is formed thin, so that the clamp piece 33 can be easily rotated.
Further, in the trunk cable cover, the cable receiving portion 23 is provided.
Four legs 34 as positioning means corresponding to the corners of
Is formed upright.

Next, a description will be given of the branch cable cover 14 with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The same parts as those of the trunk cable cover 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
A description will be given by attaching reference numerals only to different parts.

FIG. 7 shows the upper surface of the branch cable cover 14, and FIG. 8 shows the lower surface of the branch cable cover 14. 7 and 8, a plate-shaped closing portion 35 is formed upright at the end of the cable receiving portion 23 of the branch cable cover 14. In this case, the difference between the trunk cable cover 13 and the branch cable cover 14 is only whether or not the closing portion 35 is provided, and other shapes are the same.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First, with the clamp piece 33 opened, the flat multi-core trunk cable 36 is attached to the cable receiving portion 23 of the trunk cable cover 13 and the cable fixing portion 32 connected to the cable receiving portion 23.
Is placed, and the clamp piece 33 is rotated to engage with the engaging claw 32a of the cable fixing portion 32 to clamp the cable. As a result, the trunk cable 36 is held by the clamp pieces 33, and the trunk cable cover 13 is attached to the trunk cable 36. At this time, since the trunk cable 36 is clamped by the four legs 34 in the cable receiving portion 23 of the trunk cable cover 13, the trunk cable 36 can be reliably positioned in the cable receiving portion 23 (FIG. 1).
reference).

In this case, when holding the trunk cable 36 on the trunk cable cover 13, it is desirable to mount the trunk cable 36 with the trunk cable cover 13 positioned with respect to the trunk cable 36.

Next, in the same manner, the flat multicore branch cable 37 is held on the branch cable cover 14 by the clamp piece 33. At this time, the branch cable 37 is clamped by the clamp pieces 33 in a state where the branch cable 37 is in contact with the closing portion 35, so that the position of the branch cable 37 with respect to the branch cable cover 14 can be easily adjusted. Further, since the distal end of the branch cable 37 is clamped by the four legs 34, the branch cable 37 can be reliably positioned in the cable receiving portion 23 (see FIG. 1).

Subsequently, as described above, the main cable 3
The branch cable cover 13 holding the branch cable 6 and the branch cable cover 14 holding the branch cable 37 are mounted on the housing 12.

That is, in the first first mounting process, the housing 12 is lightly pushed into the trunk cable cover 13 from above. At this time, the guide portion 22 of the housing 12 is pushed in while slidingly contacting the engaging pieces 25 and 26 of the trunk cable cover 13. The engaging claws 25a, 26a of the engaging pieces 25, 26 of the trunk cable cover 13 are
The pushing operation is interrupted when it engages with the first ridge 19 formed on the side surface of the boss. As a result, the trunk cable cover 13 is brought into the first temporary engagement state separated from the housing 12 by a predetermined distance (see FIG. 9).

In the first temporary engagement state, the contact members 18 projecting from the cable receiving portion 23 of the trunk cable cover 13 and the first cable receiving portion 15 of the housing 12 are provided.
A gap that is larger than the cable diameter of the trunk cable 36 is formed between them. Therefore, in the first temporary engagement state,
Although the trunk cable cover 13 is held and positioned on the trunk cable 36 by the clamp pieces 33, the trunk cable cover 13 is positioned by applying a large force along the axial direction of the trunk cable 36. Can be adjusted.

Subsequently, the branch cable cover 14 is lightly pushed into the upper side of the housing 12 so that
The engaging claws 25a and 26a of the fifth and 26 are engaged with the third peaks 21 formed on the side surface of the housing 12. As a result, the branch cable cover 14 is brought into the first temporary engagement state where the branch cable cover 14 is separated from the housing 12 by a predetermined distance (FIG. 9).
reference).

In the next second mounting process, the housing 12
The trunk cable cover 13 and the branch cable cover 14 temporarily fixed to each other are strongly pressed. Then, the engaging pieces 25 of the respective covers 13 and 14 are attached to the opposing covers 14 and
13 and the engaging claws 25a, 2 of the engaging pieces 25, 26, respectively.
6a escapes from the first and third peaks 19 and 21, respectively, and engages with the second peak 20. At this time, the engagement protrusion 27 formed on the outer surface of the engagement piece 25 comes into contact with the end of the engagement wall 28, so that further movement of the cover is restricted. As a result, each of the covers 13 and 14 is in the second temporarily engaged state separated from the housing 12 by a predetermined distance (see FIG. 10).

In the second temporary engagement state, each cover 1
3 and 14, the cable receiving portion 23 and the contact member 1
8 is set to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the trunk cable 36 and the branch cable 37, so that the coating of the cables 36 and 37 is applied to the cut portion 18 a of the contact member 18.
Will bite slightly. Thereby, each cable 3
Since the connectors 6 and 37 are temporarily fixed to the connector 11, even if a force is applied in a state where the cover 13 or 14 is released from being pressed, the connector 11 moves with respect to the trunk cable 36 or the branch cable 37. Does not fall off from the connector 11.

In the final third mounting process, the housing 1
Each of the covers 13 and 14 temporarily fixed to 2 is tightened by using a tool such as a plier as shown in FIG. At this time, since the bulging portion 31 having a semi-cylindrical shape is formed on the outer surface of each of the covers 13 and 14, the pressing force from the pliers is reduced.
Will receive it. Thereby, even if the pressing force by the pliers acts on the covers 13 and 14 in an inclined manner, the covers 13 and 14 can be securely pressed tightly. An engaging piece 25 provided on one side surface of the covers 13 and 14 is guided while being sandwiched between the guide portions 22 of the housing 12, and an engaging piece 26 provided on the other side surface is guided by the guide. Since the guides are guided while holding the portion 22, the covers 13 and 14 are reliably guided in the mounting direction with respect to the housing 12.

Then, each of the covers 13, 1 by pliers
When the clamping pressure of the four members advances, the engaging claws 25a and 26a of the engaging pieces 25 and 26 cross over the third peak 21 or the first peak 19 of the housing, and the engaging protrusion 27 engages. It engages with the end face of the wall 28. Thereby, the cover 13, 1
4 is finally fixedly integrated with the housing 12 (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

At this time, since the trunk cable 36 and the branch cable 37 are pressed by the cable receiving portions 23 of the covers 13 and 14 and are strongly pressed against the contact member 18, the cables 36 and 3 are cut by the cut portion 18 a of the contact member 18.
7, the inner conductor is pressed into the slit 18b of the contact member 18, so that the trunk cable 36 and the branch cable 37 are separated from the contact member 18.
Are electrically connected to each other.

When the housing 12 and the covers 13 and 14 are completely integrated as described above, the tips of the contact members 18 protruding from the housing 12 are connected to the cable receiving portions 15 and 16 of the covers 13 and 14. The legs 34 erected on the cable receiving portions 23 of the covers 13 and 14 enter the locking holes 17 formed on the cable receiving portions 15 and 16 of the housing 12 while entering the formed groove 24. Become.

According to the above construction, the cable fixing portion 32 and the clamp piece 33 are provided on the branch cable cover 14, and the branch cable 37 is held by the clamp piece 33 in a clamped state. The branch cable 37 held by the cover 14 is connected to the four legs 3
4, the branch cable 37 is positioned at the cable receiving portion 23, so that it is possible to prevent the branch cable 37 from being displaced when the branch cable cover 14 is attached to the housing 12. Accordingly, the cable connection work is more difficult than in a configuration in which the main cable and the branch cable are electrically connected by attaching the cover to the housing while receiving the main cable and the branch cable on both sides of the housing. Even when working in a place, the workability can be enhanced and the trunk cable 36 and the trunk cable 37 can be electrically connected reliably.

In this case, even when the trunk cable 36 is held by the trunk cable 36, the trunk cable 36 is held by the trunk cable cover 13 by the clamp pieces 33.
The connection work with the computer can be simplified, and the overall work time can be reduced.

Further, the clamp pieces 33 are attached to the covers 13 and 14.
Therefore, when the covers 13 and 14 are attached to the housing 11, the clamp pieces 33 are located inside the connector 11, and the appearance of the connector 11 is improved. Can be planned.

Further, since the closing portion 35 is provided at the end of the cable receiving portion 23 in the branch cable cover 14, when the branch cable 37 is held on the branch cable cover 14, the branch cable 37 is closed. By contacting the portion 35, the positioning can be easily performed, and the end of the branch cable 37 can be protected.

By the way, since a cable led from a control device is connected as the branch cable 37, it is generally used by stripping the outer sheath of a cabtire cable, for example, rather than using the flat multi-core cable as described above. It is a target.

In this case, if the outside diameter of the single cable of the cabtire cable is large enough to be equal to the outside diameter of the branch cable 37, the single cable can be maintained in a straight line. The cable single wires can be held by the clamp pieces 33 of the cable cover 14 and the cable single wires can be positioned by the legs 34, so that the cabtire cable and the trunk cable 36 can be reliably electrically connected. Can be.

However, if the single cable of the cabtire cable is thin, the single cable will be broken. Therefore, even if the single cable of the cable is held on the branch cable cover 14 by the clamp pieces 33, the cable receiving portion 23 is not used. Is difficult to position.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, a cap 39 formed by connecting four sheaths to the distal end of the separated cable single wire 38 is covered. The material of the cap 39 is an elastic material such as rubber, and the outer diameter of one sheath is set to be the same as the outer diameter of one of the flat multi-core cables used in the above embodiment. In addition, the inner diameter is set to be the same as the outer diameter of the single cable 38. In addition, the cable wire 38
Is inserted in half, so that the cap 3
9 can be easily inserted with the cable wire 39.

In this case, by preparing a plurality of caps 39 having the same outer diameter and different hole diameters, it is possible to easily cope with the cable wires 38 having different outer diameters.

As shown in FIG. 15, a short cap may be used as the cap 39. In this case, the cable piece 38 is not sufficiently clamped by the clamp piece 33. Therefore, it is desirable that the cable fixing portion 32 and the clamp piece 33 be formed so as to correspond to the outer diameter of the cable wire 38.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows. Only two legs 34 may be formed on both sides of the cable receiving portion 23 of the branch cable cover 14. In the trunk cable cover 13, the cable fixing portion 32 and the clamp piece 33 may be omitted. The closing portion 35 of the branch cable cover 14 may be omitted. In this case, since the trunk cable cover 13 and the branch cable cover 14 can be the same,
Cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an upper surface of a housing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lower surface of the housing.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a contact member.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the lower surface of the trunk cable cover.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the upper surface of a trunk cable cover.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the upper surface of a branch cable cover.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the lower surface of the branch cable cover.

FIG. 9 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing a first temporary engagement state;

FIG. 10 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing a second temporary engagement state;

FIG. 11 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing a fixed state.

FIG. 12 is an overall side view showing a fixed state.

FIG. 13 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing a tightened state by a pliers.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a branch cable cover showing a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a branch cable cover showing a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 is a connector, 12 is a housing, 13 is a trunk cable cover, 14 is a branch cable cover, and 15 is a first cable.
, 16 is a second cable receiving portion, 18 is a contact member, 19 to 21 are ridges (fixing means), 23 is a cable receiving portion, 25 and 26 are engaging pieces (fixing means), 32
Is a cable fixing portion, 33 is a clamp piece (holding means), 3
4 is a leg (positioning means), 35 is a closed part, 36 is a trunk cable, and 37 is a branch cable.

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-3-152885 (JP, A) JP-A-60-167285 (JP, A) JP-A-6-113423 (JP, A) JP-A-7-65913 (JP) , A) Japanese Utility Model 6-62468 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 1-122268 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 4-123071 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 5-43475 (JP, U) (58) Surveyed fields (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 9/03-9/11

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing having a first cable receiving portion for receiving a parallel multi-core trunk cable and a second cable receiving portion for receiving a parallel multi-core branch cable, and a housing penetrating the housing. A plurality of contact members that are provided so as to protrude from the first and second cable receiving portions, and that are crimped in a conductive state to the trunk cable and the branch cable, and are provided corresponding to the first cable receiving portion; A trunk cable cover formed with a cable receiving portion for receiving a trunk cable; a branch cable cover provided corresponding to the second cable receiving portion and formed with a cable receiving portion for receiving a branch cable; Holding means provided on the cable cover for holding the branch cable; and a branch cable provided on the branch cable cover and held by the holding means. Parallel multi-core cable interconnecting connector, characterized in that it comprises a positioning means, and a fixing means for integrating the said housing and the cover for positioning the Le in the cable receiving portion. 2. The parallel multi-core cable interconnection according to claim 1, wherein the branch cable cover is provided with a closing portion for closing a tip of the branch cable received by the cable receiving portion. Connector. 3. The parallel multi-core cable interconnection according to claim 1, wherein said positioning means comprises a plurality of legs provided corresponding to the corners of said cable receiving portion. connector. 4. The holding means comprises a clamp piece provided on the branch cable cover so as to be openable and closable,
The branch cable received by the cable receiving portion is held in a clamped state of the clamp piece.
The parallel multi-core cable interconnection connector described. 5. The connector for interconnecting parallel multi-core cables according to claim 4, wherein the clamp piece is provided on the cable receiving portion side.