JP4452567B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connector composed of a plug connector and a receptacle connector. More specifically, a shutter mechanism is provided at an insertion port of one connector, and a locking member for controlling opening and closing of the shutter member is provided. It relates to an electrical connector.

  An electrical connector consisting of a plug connector and a receptacle connector is provided with a guide member so that the contact can be satisfactorily contacted at an appropriate position when both connectors are connected, and the contact does not collide with an obstacle or the like to be damaged. A shutter member that can be freely opened and closed is provided at the insertion port of the connector.

  FIG. 8 is a front view showing an electrical connector having a known shutter mechanism, FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing a receptacle connector of the electrical connector of FIG. 8, and FIG. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a state in which the insertion port before closing is closed by the shutter member, and FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a state in which the shutter member is pushed into the insertion port of the receptacle connector.

  8 and 9, the electrical connector 100 includes a receptacle connector (hereinafter referred to as a receptacle) 120 and a plug connector (hereinafter referred to as a plug) 110. The plug 110 includes guide protrusions 113a and 113b. The receptacle 120 is provided with through holes 105a and 105b into which the guide protrusions 113a and 113b of the plug 110 are inserted, and the insertion port 108 is provided with a shutter mechanism 107.

  The shutter mechanism 107 is plate-shaped and has a plurality of openings 107a and 107b through which contacts are inserted. The shutter mechanism 107 is pressed and lifted up to the vicinity of the insertion port 108 by a spring body (not shown). 8 and 9, reference numeral 103 denotes a receptacle housing, 104 denotes a cover member, 106a and 106b denote receptacle side contacts, 111 denotes a plug housing, 113 denotes a cover member, and 114 denotes a plug side contact.

  When the plug 110 is inserted into the receptacle 120, first, the guide protrusions 113a and 13b are inserted into the through holes 105a and 105b, and the positioning of both connectors is performed. When the plug 110 is further pushed, the tip of the plug 110 comes into contact with the surface of the shutter member 107 and is pushed against the force of the spring body. Then, the receptacle side contacts 106a and 106b are exposed from the openings 107a and 107b of the shutter member 107, and come into contact with the plug side contact 114.

  According to this electrical connector, the plug and the receptacle are accurately positioned by the positioning means at the time of connection. Further, when not connected, the receptacle insertion port is closed by a shutter member, so that the contact can be protected.

  However, since the shutter member is simply pushed up by the spring body in the direction of the insertion port and the insertion port is closed, that is, the shutter member is provided so as to be movable up and down by pressure from the outside. Although the contact can be protected from a collision of a relatively large member against the connector, for example, when the shutter member is pushed by a member with a sharp tip, the shutter member is easily pushed down into the housing to Therefore, the above-mentioned pointed member may collide with the exposed contact, and the contact may be damaged.

  Patent Document 1 listed below describes an electrical connector provided with another type of shutter mechanism. This electrical connector is obtained by interlocking positioning means and a shutter mechanism, and the shutter is opened in conjunction with positioning, so that the plug can be inserted into the receptacle.

  More specifically, the positioning means comprises a guide post provided on the plug connector and a guide bush provided on the receptacle, and the shutter mechanism forms the guide post of the positioning means in a cylindrical shape, and its tip portion Are provided with a guide pin protruding from the guide post. A member that opens and closes the shutter member is attached to the guide bush, and the shutter member is opened in half as the guide post is inserted into the guide bush, and the plug is inserted into the receptacle. ing.

  However, also in the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1 below, the shutter member is simply pushed up by the spring body in the direction of the insertion port and the insertion port is closed, that is, the shutter member is not locked. If this shutter member is spread with a finger or the like, the contact is easily exposed to the outside, and it is difficult to reliably protect the contact.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-6805 (FIG. 1, paragraphs [0020] to [0021])

  In view of the above problems, the present inventors have studied various electrical connectors that can more reliably protect the contacts in the connector, and as a result, provided a locking member that locks the shutter member that protects the contact, and the connector is connected. If not, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved if the shutter member is locked and the contact is not exposed, and the present invention has been achieved.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that can more reliably protect contacts.

To achieve the above object, an electrical connector according to the invention of claim 1 includes a guide member provided at both ends, a first connector having a plurality of first contacts therein,
A rectangular housing, a guide storage space in which the guide member is stored, a second contact connected to the first contact provided in an insertion port into which the first contact is inserted, and a housing A second connector having a shutter member that closes the insertion port, and an electrical connector comprising:
A locking member for preventing the shutter member from being pushed into the housing is slidably mounted in the guide housing space of the second connector,
The locking member is formed of a substantially U-shaped frame, and the inner space of the U-shaped frame is substantially the same as the diameter of the guide storage space, and each of the U-shaped tips. The frame is biased by a spring body, and before the guide member is inserted into the guide storage space, the guide storage is performed at the bottom of the U-shaped frame. When the opening is narrowed by closing a part of the opening of the space, at the same time, the locking protrusion is locked to the end of the shutter member, and when the guide member is inserted into the narrowed opening, the guide member The U-shaped frame body is slid against the biasing force of the spring body, the engagement with the shutter member is released, and the first and second connectors are connected. And

The invention according to claim 2 relates to an electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is characterized by being pressed by the spring member from the outside of the bottom of the U-shaped portion.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to the electrical connector according to the second aspect , wherein the spring body is formed integrally with a cover body that covers the housing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the shutter member that closes the insertion port is restricted from being pushed into the housing by the locking member when not connected to the first connector. Even if the shutter member is pushed, the shutter member is pushed into the housing, and the contact is exposed and does not come into contact with an obstacle or the like. Therefore, since the second connector is held in a state where the pushing of the shutter member is restricted when not connected, the shutter member is inadvertently opened, and an obstacle or the like collides with the internal contact to damage the contact. Can be prevented. Furthermore, since the locking member can be formed with a U-shaped frame, it is easy to manufacture and inexpensive. Further, the guide storage space can be easily fixed to the opening, and removal, maintenance, and the like are facilitated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the U-shaped frame that is the locking member can slide smoothly.

According to the invention of claim 3 , since the spring body for biasing the locking member is formed integrally with the cover body, the number of parts can be reduced and the assembly is simplified.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies an electrical connector for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and is not intended to specify the present invention for this electrical connector. Other embodiments within the scope are equally applicable.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing an electrical connector comprising a receptacle connector and a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the receptacle connector, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the locking member in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 shows each component of the receptacle connector, FIG. 5 (a) is a perspective view showing the receptacle housing, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the cover body. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector with the cover body removed, FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic perspective view, and FIG. 6 (b) is a schematic perspective view with the shutter mechanism further removed from FIG. 6 (a). FIG. 7 is a perspective view, a side cross-sectional view, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part showing the moving state of the locking member and the shutter member. In FIG. 5B, the cover body is shown upside down.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrical connector 1 of the present invention is usually provided with a receptacle connector (hereinafter referred to as a receptacle) 20 that is mounted on the side of a device body such as a portable personal computer, and the personal computer. A plug connector (hereinafter referred to as a plug) 10 is mounted on a device (for example, a port replicator, a docking station, etc.). The plug 10 is provided with guide members 12a and 12b, and the receptacle 20 is provided with a guide for the plug 10. Guide storage spaces 24a and 24b for storing the members 12a and 12b are provided, and a shutter member 40 is provided in the insertion port 35. In this electrical connector 1, the plug 10 has the same configuration as a known plug.
2 and 3, the electrical connector 1 according to the present invention prevents the shutter member 40 from being pushed into the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b formed at both ends of the receptacle 20 when the plug 10 is not connected. There is a feature in the structure in which the locking members 45a and 45b are mounted.

  Hereinafter, individual components, that is, the plug 10, the receptacle 20, and the components attached thereto will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plug 10 includes a plug housing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a plurality of plug-side contacts 14 attached to the plug housing 11, and guide members attached to both ends of the plug housing 11. 12a and 12b. The guide members 12a and 12b are formed of a columnar body having a predetermined length and have a shape with a sharp tip. The guide member of the present embodiment is formed of a cylindrical body portion and a conical tip portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the receptacle 20 has an elongated box-shaped receptacle housing 21 having an opening 21d in the upper portion, and a portion corresponding to the opening 21d of the receptacle housing 21. A cover body 30 having an opening 35 of the same size and covering the upper opening 21d of the receptacle housing 21, the side wall surfaces 21a and 21b, and the side walls of the block bodies 23a and 23b, and the opening 35 of the cover body 30 And a locking member 45 a and 45 b for preventing the shutter member 40 fitted into the opening 21 d of the receptacle housing 21 from being pushed into the receptacle housing 21. The opening 35 of the cover body 30 serves as an insertion port for the plug 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the box-shaped receptacle housing 21 has an opening 21d in the upper portion, side walls 21a and 21b having a predetermined height in the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction. Both end portions on the short side orthogonal to the block are closed by substantially rectangular block bodies 23a and 23b, and a plurality of protrusions 25a and 25b for mounting contacts are provided between the block bodies 23a and 23b. Yes. Further, a locking hole 21e for locking the locking portion 32 of the cover body 30 protruding outward is formed in the bottom wall 21c of the receptacle housing 21.
The side walls 21a and 21b, the bottom wall 21c, the block bodies 23a and 23b, and the projecting portions 25a and 25b are made of a synthetic resin material or the like by integral molding.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, guide housing spaces 24 a and 24 b penetrating from the upper side to the lower side are formed in the respective block bodies 23 a and 23 b. These guide storage spaces 24a and 24b have substantially circular entrances, and the diameter thereof is slightly larger than the guide members 12a and 12b of the plug, which will be described later, and the guide members 12a and 12b are provided in the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b. The inside is inserted smoothly. The shape of the openings of the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b is not limited to a circular shape, and any shape such as an ellipse or a rectangle may be used. The shape of the through holes 34a and 34b of the frame body is changed in accordance with this shape. Is done. That is, these shapes are deformed into arbitrary shapes in accordance with the shapes of the guide members 12a and 12b. In the present embodiment, the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b are described as through holes. However, they may be recessed with a bottom, and may be appropriately changed depending on the relationship between the length of the guide members 12a and 12b and the height of the receptacle 20 body. To get.

  In addition, semicircular longitudinal grooves 23a ′ and 23b ′ are provided on the inner wall surfaces of the block bodies 23a and 23b from the upper wall surface toward the bottom wall surface. The vertical groove has a lower portion that reaches the bottom wall 21c, but does not penetrate the bottom wall surface. As shown in FIG. 3, coil-like spring bodies 26a and 26b are attached to the longitudinal grooves, and these spring bodies 26a and 26b are connected to the shutter member 40 via small projections 42a and 42b. Thus, the shutter member 40 is pushed upward.

The plurality of protrusions 25a, 25b protrude from the bottom wall 21c of the receptacle housing 21 in a substantially vertical direction, have a predetermined height, and have vertical grooves formed on the side walls of the respective protrusions. A receptacle-side contact 28 is attached.
Different types of contacts are attached to the protrusions 25a and 25b. For example, a signal contact is attached to the protrusion 25a, and a power contact is attached to the other protrusion 25b. In addition, since the structure of these protrusion parts and contacts, and the attachment method of the contact to each protrusion part are the same as a well-known thing, description is abbreviate | omitted.

Locking members 45a and 45b are mounted in the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b of the respective block bodies 23a and 23b. These locking members 45a and 45b have the same shape, and one locking member 45a is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the locking member 45a is formed of a substantially U-shaped frame, and the frame pieces constituting the frame have a predetermined width. The outer width of the locking member, that is, the U-shaped frame 45a is substantially the same as the lateral width of the block body 23a in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the receptacle housing 21, and the inner opening 46a The interval is formed substantially the same as the diameter of the guide storage space 24a. Further, the height of the U-shaped frame body 45a is substantially the same as that of the block body 23a in the longitudinal direction of the receptacle housing 21, and locking protrusions 48a and 48b are provided at the tip portions of the U-shaped side pieces 49a and 49b. It is formed.
These locking members 45a and 45b, that is, U-shaped frames are placed on the upper surfaces of the block bodies 23a and 23b so that the U-shaped inner openings 46a and 46b face each other. It is slidably fixed in the longitudinal direction. The fixing is performed by providing a gap between the upper surface of each block body 23a, 23b and a cover body 30, which will be described later, so that the locking members 45a, 45b can be slid and moved in this gap.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5B, the cover body 30 has an opening 35 of approximately the same size in a portion corresponding to the opening 21d of the receptacle housing 21. The outer peripheral walls 31a, 31b, 31e, and 31d are formed by bending downward from the outer peripheral end of the wall surface. The height of each outer peripheral wall 31a, 31b, 31e, 31d is the same as the height of the receptacle housing 21. Further, these outer peripheral walls further extend the outer peripheral wall at every predetermined interval, and a locking portion 32 is formed at the extended distal end portion. When the locking portion 32 covers the receptacle housing 21, the locking portion 32 is inserted into the locking hole 21e and fixed. Further, for example, if the locking portion 32 is fixed to a wiring board (not shown) to which the receptacle 20 is attached by soldering, the role of the ground terminal is provided, which is more preferable.

  Further, spring bodies 33a and 33b are formed on the outer peripheral walls 31d and 31e of the short side by extending a part of both ends and bending the inner side. These spring bodies 33a and 33b press the outer bottom portions 47a and 47b (not shown) of the U-shaped frame bodies 45a and 45b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the shutter member 40 is formed of a plate-like body having an area slightly smaller than the size of the opening 21d of the receptacle housing 21, and the plug projection 15 (see FIG. 1) is inserted into the housing when the plug is inserted. It is the size pushed into. A plurality of openings 41a and 41b through which the protrusions 25a and 25b are inserted are formed on the surface of the shutter member 40. Further, small projections 42a and 42b projecting outward from the edge and hanging downward are formed at substantially the center of the opposing short sides of the shutter member 40. These small protrusions 42a and 42b are inserted into the spring bodies 26a and 26b at the time of assembly to facilitate the pushing movement of the shutter member 40. The shutter member 40 is preferably made of an insulating material.

The receptacle 20 having the above-described configuration is assembled by the following procedure, for example.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, first, contacts are respectively attached to the protrusions 25 a and 25 b of the receptacle housing 21. Next, the spring members 26a and 26b are inserted into the longitudinal grooves 23a 'and 23b' of the receptacle housing 21, and the shutter member 40 is fitted into the opening 21d while the small protrusions 42a and 42b are inserted into the spring members 26a and 26b. Include. Next, the openings 46a and 46b of the pair of U-shaped frames 45a and 45b are opposed to each other on the block bodies 23a and 23b at both ends of the receptacle housing 21, and the locking protrusions 48a and 48b are further provided. The U-shaped frames 45a and 45b are placed so as to be positioned on the back side of the shutter member 40. After that, the cover body 30 covers the shutter member 40 and the U-shaped frame bodies 45a and 45b, and the engagement portions 32 of the cover bodies 45a and 45b are engaged with the engagement portions of the housing 22, so that the cover bodies 45a and 45b are engaged. Fix it. The spring bodies 33a and 33b formed on the cover body by this fixing press the outer bottom portions 47a and 47b (not shown) of the U-shaped frame bodies 45a and 45b, and the frame bodies 45a and 45b are slid in a direction approaching each other. The
If it does so, the bottom part of each U-shaped frame 45a, 45b will overlap with guide storage space 24a, 24b, and it will block a part of opening part of the guide storage space 24a, 24b. At the same time, the locking protrusions 48 a and 48 b of the U-shaped frame bodies 45 a and 45 b protrude to the end of the shutter member 40 and are locked to the back surface of the shutter member 40. With this locking, even if the shutter member 40 is pushed from the insertion port 35, the shutter member 40 is not pushed into the housing.

Next, the operation of the locking members 45a and 45b will be described with reference to FIGS.
5A illustrates the state of the receptacle when the plug is inserted into the receptacle, and FIG. 6A illustrates the receptacle when the plug is not inserted. FIG. 6B is a view in which the shutter member is removed from the receptacle of FIG. 5 (a), 6 (a), and 6 (b), the cover body 30 is removed so that the inside of the receptacle can be easily understood.

  When the plug 10 is not inserted into the receptacle 20, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the shutter member 40 is pushed up to the vicinity of the insertion port 35. Further, in FIG. As shown, the locking protrusions 48a and 48b of the locking members 45a and 45b protrude from the block bodies 23a and 23b into the opening 21d on the back surface side of the shutter member 40, whereby the opening 21d of the shutter member 45 is obtained. Intrusion is blocked. At this time, the entire locking members 45a and 45b are pressed in the direction of the opening 21d by the spring bodies 33a and 33b provided on the cover body 30, so that the outer bottom portions 47a and 47b of the locking members 45a and 45b are pressed. (Not shown) is exposed in the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b, and the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b are partially closed.

  When the plug 10 is inserted into the receptacle 20, as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide members 12a and 12b are inserted into the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b, and at the same time, the locking members 45a and 45b are locked. The locking protrusions 48a and 48b that have slid in the direction in which the member 45a and the locking member 45b are separated (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5A) and have jumped out into the opening 21d thereby move toward the block bodies 23a and 23b. The shutter member 40 is unlocked, and the protrusion 15 can be inserted into the insertion port 35.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, when the plug 10 is not inserted into the receptacle 20 (see FIG. 7A), the locking members 45a and 45b are moved inward of the housing by the spring bodies 33a and 33b. The shutter member 40 is held near the insertion port 35 by the latching protrusions 48a and 48b that are biased and protrude into the opening 21d.

  Insertion of the plug 10 into the receptacle 20 is started, and only the guide members 12a and 12b provided at positions where the plug 10 hangs downward from the projecting portion 15 of the plug 10 are inserted into the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b (see FIG. 7 (b)), the tips of the guide members 12a and 12b come into contact with the bottoms of the locking members 45a and 45b, and the locking members 45a and 45b start to move against the urging force of the spring bodies 33a and 33b. However, during the movement, the shutter member 40 cannot be pushed in unless the guide members 12a and 12b are inserted to a position where the locking protrusions 48a and 48b are unlocked from the shutter member 40.

  When the connectors 10 and 20 are further connected, the guide members 12a and 12b are inserted to predetermined positions in the guide storage spaces 24a and 24b, and the locking protrusions 48a and 48b of the locking members 45a and 45b are inserted by this insertion. When retracted from the opening 21d, the locking of the shutter member 40 is released, and the protrusion 15 provided at a height to be inserted after the locking of the shutter member 40 is released is inserted into the insertion port 35. Be started. In this case, since the shutter member 40 is already movable up and down, the projecting portion 15 pushes the shutter member 40 directly into the receptacle housing 21 against the urging force of the spring bodies 26a and 26b. Connection is made (see FIG. 7C).

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an electrical connector comprising a receptacle connector and a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a receptacle connector, 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the locking member of FIG. FIG. 5 shows each component of the receptacle connector, FIG. 5 (a) is a perspective view showing a receptacle housing, and FIG. 5 (b) is a perspective view showing a cover body. 6A and 6B are views in which the cover body of the receptacle connector is removed, FIG. 6A is an overview perspective view, and FIG. 6B is an overview perspective view in which the shutter mechanism is further removed from FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a moving state of the locking member and the shutter member, a side sectional view, and an enlarged sectional view of a main part, FIG. 8 is a front view showing an electrical connector having a known shutter mechanism, FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing the receptacle connector of the electrical connector of FIG. 8, and FIG. 9A is a view showing a state in which the insertion port before the plug is connected is closed by a shutter member; FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the shutter member is pushed into the insertion port of the receptacle connector.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electrical connector 10 Plug connector (plug)
11 Plug housing 12a, 12b Guide member 14 Plug side contact 20 Receptacle connector (receptacle)
21 Receptacle housing 21d Opening 21e Locking hole 23a, 23b Block body 24a, 24b Guide storage space 25a, 25b Protruding part 26a, 26b Spring body 28 Receptacle side contact 30 Cover body 32 Locking part 33a, 33b Spring body 35 Insertion Mouth (opening)
40 Shutter members 41a and 41b Openings 42a and 42b Small protrusions 45a and 45b Locking member (U-shaped frame)
46a, 46b Inner openings 48a, 48b Locking protrusions

Claims (3)

A first connector having guide members provided at both ends, and a plurality of first contacts therein;
A rectangular housing, a guide storage space in which the guide member is stored, a second contact connected to the first contact provided in an insertion port into which the first contact is inserted, and a housing A second connector having a shutter member that closes the insertion port, and an electrical connector comprising:
A locking member for preventing the shutter member from being pushed into the housing is slidably mounted in the guide housing space of the second connector,
The locking member is formed of a substantially U-shaped frame, and the inner space of the U-shaped frame is substantially the same as the diameter of the guide storage space, and each of the U-shaped tips. The frame is biased by a spring body, and before the guide member is inserted into the guide storage space, the guide storage is performed at the bottom of the U-shaped frame. When the opening is narrowed by closing a part of the opening of the space, at the same time, the locking protrusion is locked to the end of the shutter member, and when the guide member is inserted into the narrowed opening, the guide member The U-shaped frame body is slid against the biasing force of the spring body, the engagement with the shutter member is released, and the first and second connectors are connected. And electrical connector. The locking member, the electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it is pressed by the spring member from the outside of the bottom of the U-shaped portion. The electrical connector according to claim 2 , wherein the spring body is formed integrally with a cover body that covers the housing.

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