JP3546188B2 - Modular jack - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a modular jack into which a modular plug can be inserted.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A modular jack disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-204949 has a housing in which a modular plug can be inserted, a fixing member formed separately from the housing for aligning and holding electric wires, and a housing that can be freely raised and lowered. And a lever capable of pressing the fixing tool toward the terminal block for electric wire connection. This lever is also formed separately from the housing.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the known modular jack, a plurality of electric wires can be press-fitted into the terminal almost simultaneously without using a large force by using a lever. However, in the connection work of the modular jack, a lever which is considerably smaller than that of the housing must be operated, and the work may be troublesome. Also, this lever is small and separate from the housing.It is easy to lose when removed from the housing prior to wiring work, and it is necessary to attach the small lever to the housing first during wiring work. There is complexity.
[0004]
The present invention relates to an improvement of a modular jack, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems when press-fitting an electric wire into a terminal of a modular jack using the force of a lever.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a housing and an electric wire alignment member that can hold a plurality of electric wires in a parallel state and that is formed separately from the housing. The housing has a modular plug insertion port at the front thereof and a contact located inside the insertion port and electrically connectable to the modular plug, while being held by the electric wire alignment member behind the housing. A modular jack having a terminal electrically connectable to each of the electric wires, wherein the contact and the terminal are electrically connected in the housing.
[0006]
The features of the present invention in such a modular jack are as follows. An upper housing including the insertion port and an arm extending rearward from a position near the top of the insertion port; and the contact provided to be positioned behind the insertion port; And a lower housing that is located below the upper housing and includes a pair of side walls provided to be located on both sides of the housing at the rear of the housing. Have. The upper housing is pivotally attached to the lower housing via a support shaft in which the arm portion is located between a pair of side wall portions of the lower housing and extends between the arm portion and the side wall portion. The electric wire alignment member is formed so as to be located between an arm portion of the upper housing and a terminal of the lower housing in a vertical direction of the housing, and an upper surface portion located on the arm portion side and the arm The rear end portion is formed to have a size such that the upper surface portion can be pressed against the rear end portion of the arm portion during the turning process of the upper housing, and the lower surface portion located on the terminal side of the electric wire alignment member. Has guide means capable of arranging a plurality of the electric wires so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the housing.
[0007]
The present invention has the following preferred embodiments.
(1) The upper housing is detachable from the lower housing.
(2) Support shafts protruding in the width direction of the housing are formed on both sides of the arm portion of the upper housing, and the support shafts can be rotatably inserted into the inner surfaces of the pair of side wall portions of the lower housing. A bearing portion and a guide groove extending from the peripheral portion of the side wall portion to the bearing portion and guiding the support shaft from outside the peripheral portion of the side wall portion to the bearing portion are formed.
(3) The pair of side walls of the lower housing are elastically deformable in the width direction of the housing.
(4) The arm portion of the upper housing has a rear surface facing backward, an upper surface facing upward of the housing, and a lower surface facing downward of the housing, and in a process of turning the upper housing. The rear surface and the lower surface are formed so as to be pressed against the electric wire alignment member.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The details of the modular jack according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0009]
A modular jack 1 shown in a partially cutaway view in FIG. 1 has a housing 10 composed of an upper housing 2 and a lower housing 3, and a plurality of cables connected to external devices (not shown) behind the lower housing 3. The electric wire 4 extends. The upper housing 2 has a modular plug insertion port 6 in the front, and an arm 7 extends rearward from near the top of the insertion port 6. A support shaft 9 extends from both side surfaces 8 of the arm portion 7 in the width direction of the upper housing 2. The lower housing 3 has a front portion covered by the upper housing 2 and has a plurality of contacts 11 inside the insertion opening 6 of the upper housing 2 that can be electrically connected to the modular plug. In the rear part of the lower housing 3, the arm 7 of the upper housing 2 is accommodated between a pair of side walls 12 located on both sides of the housing 10, and the support shaft 9 of the arm 7 is formed on the side wall 12. The bearing 13 is rotatably inserted into the bearing 13. The upper housing 2 and the lower housing 3 assembled as described above can be fixed by holding the lower housing 3 in one hand and moving the upper housing 2 in the direction of arrow A about the support shaft 9 with the other hand. It can be turned to open the lower housing 3 like a virtual line. At this time, the contact 11 is uncovered by the upper housing 2 and is entirely exposed.
[0010]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the modular jack 1, in which the upper housing 2 is turned by about 180 ° in the direction of arrow A from the state of FIG. 1, and the lower housing 3 is partially broken. Modular jack 1 has an upper housing 2 and a lower housing 3 and an electric wire alignment member 5 for holding electric wires 4.
[0011]
The upper housing 2 of FIG. 2 has a front wall 15, a pair of side walls 16, and a top 17 that can cover the front part of the lower housing 3, and the arm 7 extends from the top. A modular plug insertion opening 6 is formed in the center of the front wall portion 15, and a pair of latch spring portions 20 are formed below (see also FIG. 1).
[0012]
In the lower housing 3 of FIG. 2, eight contacts 11 are exposed at a front portion thereof. In the rear flat portion 19 of the lower housing 3, eight terminal plates 22a and 22b having a U-shaped groove 21 between the side wall portions 12 are arranged in two rows. The four terminal strips in the front row have the reference number 22a and the four terminal boards in the rear row have the reference number 22b. In the front-rear direction of the lower housing 3, the rear row of terminal plates 22b is located between adjacent terminal plates 22a and 22a so that the U-shaped grooves 21 of these terminal plates 22a and 22b do not overlap. . Each of the terminal plates 22a and 22b is electrically connected to each of the contacts 11 below the flat portion 19 (see FIG. 3). Guide holes 23 extending in the vertical direction are formed on both side portions of the rear flat portion 19, and legs 24 of the electric wire alignment member 5 described later can be inserted into these guide holes 23. A guide groove 27 extending obliquely downward from the upper edge 26 of the side wall portion 12 and reaching the bearing portion 13 is formed on the inner surface side of the side wall portion 12 of the lower housing 3. When each of the side wall portions 12 is slightly elastically deformed toward the outside of the lower housing 3 as indicated by arrows B and C, the support shaft 9 of the upper housing 2 is guided into the guide groove 27 and further stored in the bearing portion 13. be able to.
[0013]
2 has an upper surface portion 31 and a lower surface portion 32 located in the vertical direction of the housing 1, a front surface portion 33 and a rear surface portion 34 located in the front-rear direction, and both side surface portions 36 and 37 located in the width direction. . A raised portion 38 is formed on the upper surface portion 31 at a substantially central region in the front-rear direction. The lower surface 32 is formed with legs 24 extending downward on both sides in the width direction. In the front part 33, eight U-shaped grooves 39 arranged at equal intervals in the width direction extend in the vertical direction. The rear surface portion 34 is formed with an electric wire guide hole 41 through which up to eight electric wires 4 extending in the front-rear direction can be inserted in parallel (see FIG. 3). It extends to the groove 39. In the drawing, each of the four electric wires 4 inserted into the guide hole 41 from the rear of the alignment member 5 is shown as protruding forward from the bottom of the U-shaped groove 39, and the remaining four electric wires 4 are It is shown before it is inserted into The side surfaces 36 and 37 of the alignment member 5 are formed smoothly, and the size between the side surfaces 36 and 37, that is, the width of the alignment member 5 is larger than the size between the side walls 12 and 12 of the lower housing 3. Slightly smaller.
[0014]
In order to assemble the upper housing 2, the lower housing 3, and the electric wire alignment member 5 formed as described above, first, in the state of FIG. 19, the leg 24 of the alignment member 5 is inserted into the guide hole 23 of the lower housing 3. The two rows of terminal plates 22a, 22b of the lower housing 3 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction of the lower housing 3 and do not overlap in the front-rear direction, and the U-shaped grooves 21 of the respective terminal plates 22a, 22b are aligned. It is located immediately below each of the electric wires 4 inserted into the guide hole 41 of the member 5. Next, the support shaft 9 of the upper housing 2 in the state of FIG. 2 is guided to the guide groove 27 of the lower housing 3 and is housed in the bearing 13. The upper housing 2 at this time is shown as an imaginary upper housing 2a in FIG.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and also shows the order in which the electric wire alignment member 5 and the upper housing 2 are attached to the lower housing 3. The upper surface portion 31 of the electric wire alignment member 5 with the leg portion 24 inserted into the guide hole 23 and the raised portion 38 are parallel to and separated from the arm portion 7 of the upper housing 2a. When the upper housing 2a pivots 90 ° in the direction of arrow D about the support shaft 9 and comes to the position of the upper housing 2b, the rear surface 42 of the arm 7 presses the raised portion 38 of the upper surface 31 to move the alignment member 5. Lower it. In the process of lowering the alignment member 5, the electric wire 4 is pressed into the U-shaped groove 21 of the terminal plate 22a or 22b located immediately below the electric wire 4. The figure shows an example in which one of the eight electric wires 4 is pressed into the U-shaped groove 21 of the terminal plate 22b. The width of the U-shaped groove 21 is smaller than the diameter of the core wire 43 of the electric wire 4, and the sheath 44 of the electric wire 4 press-fit into the groove 21 is broken, so that the core wire 43 and the terminal plate 22 b are electrically connected. A first pressing surface 51, a second pressing surface 52, and a third pressing surface 53 for the electric wire 4 are formed on the inner surface of the guide hole 41 of the electric wire alignment member 5 in order to surely and easily press-fit the electric wire 4. ing. A recess 54 is formed between the first pressing surface 51 and the second pressing surface 52, into which the upper end of the terminal plate 22 a in the front row enters, and a rear row between the second pressing surface 52 and the third pressing surface 53. A concave portion 56 into which the upper end portion of the terminal plate 22b enters is formed. The first pressing surface 51 and the second pressing surface 52 contact the electric wire 4 press-fitted into the terminal plate 22a before and after the terminal plate 22a. The second pressing surface 52 and the third pressing surface 53 come into contact with the electric wire 4 pressed into the terminal plate 22b before and after the terminal plate 22b. The front end portion 58 of the electric wire 4 protruding forward from the electric wire alignment member 5 comes into contact with the rear surface of the wall 57 located in the front-rear center region of the lower housing 3 when the alignment member 5 is lowered, as shown in the drawing. And fits in the groove 39 of the alignment member 5. When the upper housing 2b indicated by the imaginary line is further turned by 90 ° in the direction of arrow E, it becomes the upper housing 2 indicated by the solid line, and the latch spring portion 20 of the front wall 15 is formed in the latch groove 59 formed in the lower housing 3 (see FIG. ) To be closed with respect to the lower housing 3. In the closed upper housing 2, the arm 7 is parallel to and separated from the upper surface 31 of the electric wire alignment member 5 and the raised portion 38.
[0016]
In the modular jack 1 formed in this manner, the upper housing 2 that turns in the directions of arrows D and E acts as a lever for press-fitting the electric wires 4 into the terminal plates 22a and 22b. However, it does not require a large force to press-fit them simultaneously. The upper housing 2 serving as the lever can be made large so as to occupy almost the entire width of the modular jack 1 unlike a lever incorporated inside the housing like a modular jack of the prior art. 1 can be made large so as to be 以上 or more of the total length of 1, so that not only the operation as a lever is easy, but also when the upper housing 2 is removed from the lower housing, There is no fear of loss. Further, if the upper housing 2 is turned in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, the entire area where the contact 11 is to be mounted is exposed, so that the operation of bending the contact 11 in the manufacturing process of the modular jack is extremely easy. If the contact 11 is deformed while the modular jack 1 is being used, the operation of repairing the contact 11 is easy. Since the upper housing 2 and the electric wire aligning member 5 are detachable from the lower housing 3, it is extremely easy to replace the electric wire 4 once connected with a new electric wire 4.
[0017]
FIG. 4 is a drawing similar to FIG. 3 showing an example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the modular jack 1, the rear end portion 61 of the arm 7 can be used when the upper housing 2 is open with respect to the lower housing 3 as shown by the phantom line or when the upper housing 2 is closed. The rear surface 42 or the lower surface 62 abuts on the raised portion 38 of the electric wire alignment member 5. If the height of the raised portion 38 and the size of the rear end portion 61 are adjusted so as to enable such contact, the alignment member 5 is lifted up during use of the modular jack 1, and the electric wire 4 is connected to the terminal plate 22a. There is no danger that it will deviate from or 22b.
[0018]
In the present invention, a through hole in the width direction coaxial with the bearing portion 13 of the lower housing 3 is provided in the upper housing 2 in place of the support shaft 9, and a pin is formed between the through hole and the bearing portion 13 from outside the housing 10. The upper housing 2 can be made pivotable and detachable with respect to the lower housing 3 by inserting and removing the upper housing 2. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in a mode in which the upper housing 2 is pivotable with respect to the lower housing 3 but is not removable. Even with the modular jack 1 having such an embodiment, a large lever which can be easily operated by the upper housing 2 can be obtained.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
In the modular jack according to the present invention, an upper housing and a lower housing are provided by vertically dividing a housing of the modular jack into two parts, and the upper housing is formed so as to be pivotable with respect to the lower housing, and an electric wire is connected to the modular jack. Since the lever can be used as a lever for press-fitting into a terminal, such a lever can be made larger than that of the prior art, and the obtained lever becomes easy to operate. Further, in the present invention, when the upper housing is pivoted and opened with respect to the lower housing, the contacts to be brought into contact with the modular plug are exposed, so that the work of repairing the contacts in the modular jack in use is facilitated.
[0020]
In the present invention, when the upper housing is detachable from the lower housing, it is easy to assemble the modular jack and also to easily exchange wires in the assembled modular jack. Further, there is no danger that the upper housing removed from the lower housing will be lost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view of a modular jack.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the modular jack.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a drawing similar to FIG. 3, showing an example of the embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Modular jack 2 Upper housing 3 Lower housing 4 Electric wire 5 Electric wire alignment member 6 Insertion opening 7 Arm part 9 Support shaft 10 Housing 11 Contact 12 Side wall part 13 Bearing part 22a, 22b Terminal (terminal board)
27 Guide groove 38 Upper surface (raised portion)
41 guide means 42 rear surface 61 rear end portion 62 lower surface

Claims (5)

It has a housing and an electric wire alignment member capable of holding a plurality of electric wires in a parallel state and formed separately from the housing. While having a contact electrically connectable to the modular plug located inside the insertion port, having a terminal electrically connectable to each of the wires held by the wire alignment member at the rear thereof, In a modular jack in which the contact and the terminal are electrically connected in the housing,
An upper housing including the insertion port and an arm extending rearward from a position near the top of the insertion port; and the contact provided to be positioned behind the insertion port; And a lower housing that is located below the upper housing and includes a pair of side walls provided to be located on both sides of the housing at the rear of the housing. The upper housing is pivotally attached to the lower housing via a support shaft in which the arm portion is located between a pair of side wall portions of the lower housing and extends between the arm portion and the side wall portion. The electric wire alignment member is disposed between the arm of the upper housing and the terminal of the lower housing in the vertical direction of the housing. The upper surface portion located on the side of the arm portion and the rear end portion of the arm portion are pressed against the rear end portion of the arm portion during the turning process of the upper housing. The lower surface portion located on the terminal side of the electric wire alignment member has guide means capable of juxtaposing a plurality of the electric wires so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the housing. Said modular jack. The modular jack according to claim 1, wherein the upper housing is detachable from the lower housing. On both sides of the arm portion of the upper housing, support shafts projecting in the width direction of the housing are formed. A guide groove extending from a peripheral portion of the side wall portion to the bearing portion, and being capable of guiding the support shaft from the outside of the peripheral portion of the side wall portion to the bearing portion. Modular jack described. The modular jack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pair of side walls of the lower housing are elastically deformable in a width direction of the housing. The arm portion of the upper housing has a rear surface facing the rear, an upper surface facing the upper side of the housing, and a lower surface facing the lower side of the housing. The modular jack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a lower surface is formed so as to be capable of being pressed against the electric wire alignment member.

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