JP4551134B2 - Connector attachment / detachment structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector attaching / detaching structure that allows a connector such as an optical connector that accommodates a terminal of an optical fiber for transmitting signal light to be detachably attached to a device main body of an electric device.

  Various electronic devices are mounted on automobiles. An automobile has a wire harness routed (wired) in order to transmit desired power and signals to the electronic devices described above. The wire harness includes a plurality of linear bodies as information transmission means, a plurality of connectors, and the like. As the linear body, an electric wire provided with a conductive core wire and a covering portion covering the core wire, an optical fiber transmitting an optical signal and an optical fiber cable including a covering portion covering the optical fiber, etc. are used. It is done. The connector includes a terminal fitting (also referred to as a ferrule) attached to the core wire or the end of the optical fiber, and a connector housing that houses the terminal fitting.

  The above-described wire harness is routed in the above-described automobile or the like by connecting the above-described connectors or by connecting the connector and the above-described electronic device. These connectors and connectors and electronic devices are detachable in order to ensure the maintainability of the wire harness and automobile described above.

  Conventionally, various connector attachment / detachment structures (see, for example, Patent Document 1) have been used in order to make the above-described connectors or connectors and electronic devices detachable. In the connector attaching / detaching structure described in Patent Document 1 described above, the connector housing of each connector is provided with a projection having a triangular cross section (triangular pyramid) and a hole for engaging the projection.

  In the connector attaching / detaching structure described in Patent Document 1, a pair of connectors are brought close to each other along the longitudinal direction of a terminal fitting housed in the connector housing, and the connector housing of one connector is connected to the connector housing of the other connector. The connector housing is press-fitted against the elastic restoring force of the connector housing. And a protrusion engages in a hole and connectors are joined. When the connector housing of one connector described above is press-fitted into the connector housing of the other connector, the connector housing is elastically deformed by interfering with protrusions and the like.

  In the connector attaching / detaching structure described in Patent Document 1, when the connectors connected to each other are separated, the connectors are separated from each other against the elastic restoring force of the connector housing along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting described above. Release. Then, the protrusion comes out of the hole, the connector housing of one connector mentioned above comes out of the connector housing of the other connector, and the pair of connectors are separated. Note that when the connector housing of one connector is pulled out of the connector housing of the other connector, the connector housing is elastically deformed by interference with a protrusion or the like.

As described above, in the connector attaching / detaching structure described in Patent Document 1, the connectors are detachable by providing the protrusions and the holes.
JP-A-7-249454

  In the connector attaching / detaching structure described above, when the connectors are attached / detached, the connector housing is elastically deformed by interfering with the protrusions. Moreover, in the connector attachment / detachment structure described above, the connectors are moved closer to or away from each other along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting. For this reason, when attaching and detaching connectors, the force applied to the connectors (force to bring the connectors closer to or away from each other) tends to increase. For this reason, it is difficult to attach and detach the connectors, and the efficiency of the operation of attaching and detaching the connectors tends to decrease.

  Further, since the force applied to the connectors (force to bring the connectors closer to or away from each other) increases, it is conceivable that a jig or the like is used particularly when the connectors are separated. When a jig is used, it is conceivable that the protrusion is damaged by the jig.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector attachment / detachment structure that allows a connector to be easily attached / detached without being damaged.

The connector attaching / detaching structure of the present invention according to claim 1 is a connector attaching / detaching structure in which a connector having a connector housing is detachably attached to the connector receiving portion, and the receiving portion is formed in a frame shape and A width of the connector housing from the one edge of the connector housing to accommodate one end of the connector housing and to allow the connector housing to rotate about one edge of the one end of the connector housing. A fulcrum portion protruding outward along the direction; a fulcrum portion that is recessed from the inner surface of the receiving portion and into which the fulcrum protrusion is loosely inserted; and the one edge of the one end portion of the connector housing A connector housing from the other edge of the connector housing to engage and disengage the other edge opposite to the receiving part. Disengageably portion having a lockable locking protrusion protruding outwardly and the receiving portion along the width direction of the grayed, because the connector housing about said fulcrum portion is allowed to rotate, the The one end of the connector housing enters the back of the receiving part in a direction in which the opening of the receiving part gradually expands toward the outside of the receiving part. and a rotation allowing portion having a tapered surface inclined with respect to the direction, the fulcrum projection is in a state in which the fulcrum projection penetrates into the recess and engaged with the locking projection is received portion, said connector is movable in front Symbol the recess along the direction in which the one end of the housing from entering the back of the receiving portion, and rotates the connector housing about said fulcrum portion, the receiving the engaging and disengaging portion Part By disengagement, and characterized in that the detachable said connector to said receptacle.

The connector attaching / detaching structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the connector attaching / detaching structure according to the first aspect, wherein the width of the concave portion in the direction in which one end portion of the connector housing is directed toward the back of the receiving portion and the fulcrum protrusion The width difference is L1, the protrusion amount of the fulcrum protrusion from the one edge in the width direction of the connector housing is L11, the fulcrum protrusion enters the recess, and the locking protrusion engages in the receiving part. The angle formed by the outer surface on the one edge side of the connector housing and the tapered surface in a state where the connector housing is biased in the direction of coming out of the receiving portion is θ1, and the fulcrum protrusion is in the recess. penetrated and engaged with the locking projection is received portion, the said one edge portion side of the outer surface of the connector housing in a state of being biased in a direction escaping from the receiving portion, said one edge And the one edge side outer surface of the connector housing in a state where biasing is and the other edge attached is biased in a direction escaping from the receiving portion toward the back of the serial receiving portion, the angle between the θ2 Assuming that the width of the fulcrum protrusion in the direction in which the one end portion of the connector housing faces toward the back of the receiving portion is d, both L11 × sin θ1-d (1-cos θ1) ≦ L1 and θ2 <θ1 are satisfied. It is characterized by having.

The connector attaching / detaching structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the connector attaching / detaching structure according to the second aspect , wherein when the sum of the width of the connector housing and the protruding amount L11 of the fulcrum protrusion is L2, θ2 = It is characterized by satisfying arcsin (L1 / L2).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by rotating around the fulcrum part, the engagement / disengagement part is engaged / disengaged with the reception part, and the connector is attached / detached to / from the reception part. For this reason, the force applied to engage / disengage the engagement / disengagement portion can be reduced by pressing the portion away from the fulcrum portion of the connector housing according to the principle of the lever. That is, the connector can be attached and detached with a weaker force than when the connector housing is pulled along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing.

  For example, the comparison example A schematically shown in FIG. 9 (attachment / detachment structure described in Patent Document 1) A and the product B of the present invention schematically shown in FIG. 8 are as follows. In Comparative Example A and the product B of the present invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 8, the connector housing 5 of the connector 3 is detachably attached to a frame-shaped receiving portion 24 provided in a device body 21 such as various electric devices. Show.

  In Comparative Example A shown in FIG. 9, the protrusions 100 are provided on both edges in the width direction of the connector housing 5, and the recesses 101 into which the protrusions 100 enter (engage) are provided in the receiving part 24. In this comparative example A, the protrusion 3 is locked to the recess 101 by moving the connector 3 relative to the receiving portion 24 along the arrow F parallel to the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting (not shown) in the connector housing 5. Or the protrusion 100 is removed from the recess 101.

  In the product B of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is provided on one edge 29a in the width direction of the connector housing 5, and the locking protrusion 32 is provided on the other edge 29b opposite to the one edge 29a. ing. The fulcrum protrusion 30 and the locking protrusion 32 protrude outward from the edges 29 a and 29 b of the connector housing 5 along the width direction of the connector housing 5. The locking protrusion 32 can be locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24 or can be detached from the inner edge of the receiving portion 24.

  The receiving portion 24 is provided with a hole 31 as a recess into which the fulcrum protrusion 30 is loosely inserted. In the hole 31, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is movable along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting in the connector housing 5, that is, in the direction in which the connector housing 5 goes to the back of the receiving portion 24. That is, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is inserted into the hole 31 with play. Further, a tapered surface 33 is provided on the inner surface of the receiving portion 24 facing the one edge portion 29a. The taper surface 33 extends in the direction of expanding the opening of the receiving portion 24 toward the outside of the receiving portion 24, in the longitudinal direction of the terminal metal fitting in the connector housing 5, that is, in the direction in which the connector housing 5 goes to the back of the receiving portion 24. Is inclined.

  In the product B of the present invention described above, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is inserted into the hole 31, and the connector housing 5 is rotated along the arrow K in FIG. 8 around the fulcrum protrusion 30 and the hole 31. Then, the product B of the present invention allows the locking projection 32 to be locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24, or the locking projection 32 locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24 to be unlocked. The connector 3 is attached to and detached from the receiving portion 24. At this time, since the tapered surface 33 is inclined as described above, the rotation of the connector housing 5, that is, the connector 3 is not hindered.

Furthermore, in the comparative example A and the product B of the present invention described above, the width of the connector housing 5 is H2. In Comparative Example A, as shown in FIG. 9, the connector housing 5 is extracted from the receiving portion 24 with the force F <b> 1 along the arrow F described above from the state in which the protrusion 100 is engaged with the recess 101. It is assumed that the locking of the protrusion 100 to the recess 101 is released when the force F1 is extracted. The moment M1 that acts on the protrusion 100 when the locking of the comparative example A to the concave portion 101 is released is expressed by the following formula 1.
M1 = H2 / 2 × F1 ............ Formula 1

  In the product B of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the connector housing 5, that is, the connector 3 is rotated around the fulcrum protrusion 30 and the hole 31 described above from the state in which the locking protrusion 32 is locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24. At this time, a force F2 is applied to the position H2 from the fulcrum protrusion 30 of the connector housing 5 along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting.

It is assumed that when the force F2 is applied, the locking projection 32 is released from the inner edge of the receiving portion 24. The moment M2 acting on the locking protrusion 32 when the locking protrusion 32 of the product B of the present invention is released from the inner edge of the receiving portion 24 is expressed by the following formula 2.
M2 = H2 × F2 ......... Formula 2

It is assumed that the moment M1 applied when releasing the locking of the protrusion 100 of the comparative example A is equal to the moment M2 applied when releasing the locking protrusion 32 of the product B described above. That is, it is assumed that the protrusion 100 of Comparative Example A and the locking protrusion 32 of the product B of the present invention are unlocked under the same conditions. Then, the following formula 3 is established.
H2 / 2 × F1 = H2 × F2
1/2 * F1 = F2 ......... Formula 3

Thus, it became clear that the force F2 of the product B of the present invention is half of the force F1 of the comparative example A. Further, the same results can be obtained with the forces F1 and F2 applied when the connector 3 is attached to the receiving portion 24. Thus, it became clear that the product B of the present invention can attach and detach the connector 3 with a weaker force than the conventional connector coupling structure described in Comparative Example A, that is, Patent Document 1 described above.
In addition, a tapered surface that is inclined in a direction in which the receiving portion is gradually expanded toward the outer side of the receiving portion is provided on the inner surface near one edge of the receiving portion. For this reason, when the connector housing rotates around the fulcrum portion, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the receiving portion and the outer surface of the connector housing from interfering with each other.
Therefore, the connector housing, that is, the connector can be reliably rotated around the fulcrum portion, and the connector can be reliably attached to and detached from the receiving portion.

Fulcrum projection protruding from one edge of the connector housing of the supporting point portion is movable along a direction entering the back of the receiving portion of the recess. For this reason, when a connector housing rotates centering on a fulcrum part, it can prevent that a fulcrum protrusion and a recessed part mutually interfere (collision).

  In the product B of the present invention described above, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is securely inserted into the hole 31 so that the connector 3 can be securely attached to the receiving portion 24 in a state separated from the receiving portion 24. It needs to be possible. Further, in the product B of the present invention, the larger the difference L1 between the width of the hole 31 in the direction toward the back of the receiving portion 24 and the width of the fulcrum protrusion 30, the easier the insertion of the fulcrum protrusion 30 into the hole 31 becomes. . Furthermore, in the product B of the present invention, the above-described width difference L1 needs to be increased as the protrusion amount L11 of the fulcrum protrusion 30 from the connector housing 5 in the width direction of the connector housing 5 increases.

  In the product B of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the connector housing 5 extends outwardly of the receiving portion 24 with the fulcrum protrusion 30 entering the hole 31 and the locking protrusion 32 locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24. Be energized. At this time, an angle formed by the outer surface 5b on the one edge portion 29a side of the connector housing 5 and the tapered surface 33 described above is θ1.

  When inserting the fulcrum protrusion 30 into the hole 31, it is assumed that the outer surface 5 b on the one edge portion 29 a side of the connector housing 5 is brought into contact with the tapered surface 33 as shown in FIG. 11. That is, the condition that the fulcrum protrusion 30 can be inserted into the hole 31, that is, the condition that the connector 3 can be attached to the receiving portion 24 in the state where the angle θ1 is the smallest is described.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in order to be able to insert the fulcrum protrusion 30 into the hole 31, the fulcrum in the direction toward the back of the angle θ1, the difference L1, the protruding amount L11 and the receiving portion 24 described above. The width d of the protrusion 30 needs to satisfy the following expressions 4 and 5.
d × cos θ1 + L11 × sin θ1 ≦ L1 + d (4)
L11 × sin θ1-d (1-cos θ1) ≦ L1 Equation 5
That is, by satisfying the above formula 5, the fulcrum protrusion 30 can be reliably inserted into the hole 31 (the connector 3 can be securely attached to the receiving portion 24).

  In order to reliably remove the connector 3 from the receiving portion 24 from the state in which the fulcrum projection 30 is inserted into the hole 31 and locked to the inner edge of the receiving portion 24, the engagement of the locking projection 32 is secured. The connector 3 must be able to rotate to such an extent that it can be released. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is urged to the back of the receiving part 24 in a state where the fulcrum protrusion 30 is inserted into the hole 31 and locked to the inner edge of the receiving part 24. The locking projection 32 is urged outward of the receiving portion 24. In the state shown in FIG. 10, the connector housing 5 in a state where both the outer surface 5b on the one edge portion 29a side, the fulcrum projection 30 and the locking projection 32 are urged outwardly from the receiving portion 24. The angle θ2 formed by the outer surface 5b (shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 10) on the one edge portion 29b side of 5 must satisfy the following Expression 6.

θ2 <θ1 .... Formula 6
That is, the connector 3 can be detached from the receiving portion 24 by satisfying the above formula 6.

  Further, in the state shown in FIG. 10, when the sum of the width H2 of the connector housing 5 and the protrusion amount L11 of the fulcrum protrusion 30 is L2, this relationship between L2 and the above-described θ2 is expressed by the following equation (7). Satisfies.

θ2 = arcsin (L1 / L2)...
That is, the connector 3 can be detached from the receiving portion 24 by satisfying the above expression 7.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the expression 5 is satisfied, the fulcrum protrusion can be reliably inserted into the recess. That is, the connector can be securely attached to the receiving part. Moreover, since the said Formula 6 is satisfy | filled, a connector can be removed from a receiving part.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the expression 7 is satisfied, the connector can be removed from the receiving portion.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the connector can be attached and detached with a weaker force than when the connector housing is pulled along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing. For this reason, it becomes easy to attach and detach the connector, and it is possible to prevent the efficiency of the operation of attaching and detaching the connector from being lowered.

  Further, since the connector can be attached and detached with a weaker force than when the connector housing is pulled along the longitudinal direction of the terminal fitting accommodated in the connector housing, it is not necessary to use a jig or the like particularly when removing the connector. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the connector from being unexpectedly damaged by a jig or the like used for removing the connector.

  Therefore, the connector can be easily attached to and detached from the receiving portion without being damaged.

Connector housing can be prevented fulcrum and projections and recesses interfere (collide) with each other that when rotated about the fulcrum. When the connector housing rotates about the fulcrum portion, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the receiving portion and the outer surface of the connector housing from interfering with each other (collision).

  Therefore, the connector housing, that is, the connector can be reliably rotated around the fulcrum portion, and the connector can be reliably attached to and detached from the receiving portion.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the connector can be reliably attached to and detached from the receiving portion.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connector can be reliably removed from the receiving portion.

  A connector attaching / detaching structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A connector attaching / detaching structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 makes an optical connector 3 as a connector detachable to an electronic device 2 equipped in an automobile or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic device 2 includes a main body portion 21 as a device main body made of synthetic resin, a plurality of terminals 22 embedded in the main body portion 21, a through hole 23, and a connector. A receiving portion (hereinafter simply referred to as a receiving portion) 24 and the like are provided. The main body 21 is formed in a box shape. The terminal 22 is made of a conductive metal and has a rod shape. The terminal 22 has a central portion embedded in the main body 21 with one end protruding outside the main body 21 and the other end positioned in the main body 21. Various terminals of connectors (not shown) are connected to one end of the terminal 22.

  The through hole 23 penetrates the outer wall 21a located on the front side of the main body 21 in FIG. The planar shape of the through hole 23 is a rectangular shape. The receiving portion 24 is provided at the edge of the through hole 23 and includes four beams 25 integrated with the main body portion 21 and is formed in a frame shape. The receiving portion 24 accommodates one end portion 5a on the back side in FIG. 1 of the connector housing 5 of the optical connector 3, that is, the front side in FIG. The optical connector 3 is attached to and detached from the receiving portion 24 by a connector attaching / detaching structure 1 described later. The distance between the pair of beams 25 facing each other along the arrow S of the receiving portion 24, that is, the width H1 of the receiving portion 24 (shown in FIG. 2) is the width H2 of the connector housing 5 of the optical connector 3 in the arrow S direction. (Shown in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the optical connector 3 includes four ferrules 4, a connector housing 5, and a leaf spring 6 as an urging means. The ferrule 4 is made of metal and includes a cylindrical main body 10 and a plurality of flanges 11a and 11b. The flanges 11 a and 11 b protrude from the outer surface of the main body 10 in the outer peripheral direction of the main body 10. Each end of the optical fiber cable 7 is attached to the base end portion 4 b of the ferrule 4. The ferrule 4 accommodates the end of the optical fiber cable 7. The ferrule 4 forms a terminal fitting described in this specification.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the optical fiber cable 7 includes an optical fiber 8 made of a light guide material and a covering portion 9. The optical fiber 8 is a conventionally known multimode plastic optical fiber including a core and a clad that are formed so as to have different refractive indexes and are arranged coaxially with each other. The covering portion 9 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and covers and protects the optical fiber 8.

  The connector housing 5 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a box shape by a plurality of outer walls 15 that are continuous with each other. The connector housing 5 is formed in a parallelepiped shape. The connector housing 5 includes a pair of openings 16 and a plurality of through holes 17. The opening 16 opens to a pair of outer walls 15 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 15 a) facing each other among the plurality of outer walls 15. In this specification, the direction in which the pair of outer walls 15a provided with the openings 16 are opposed to each other (the direction indicated by the arrow S in FIGS. 3 and 4) is referred to as the width direction of the connector housing 5, that is, the optical connector 3. Of course, the opening 16 communicates the inside and the outside of the connector housing 5. The planar shape of the opening 16 is rectangular.

  The through hole 17 is formed in the outer wall 15 in which the opening 16 described above is not formed among the plurality of outer walls 15 of the connector housing 5. The through hole 17 is formed in the outer wall 15 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 15 c) on the front side in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the outer wall 15 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 15 d) on the back side in the plurality of outer walls 15. Of the through holes 17, the one provided on the outer wall 15 c is denoted by reference numeral 17 a below, and the one provided on the outer wall 15 d is denoted by reference numeral 17 b below.

  Four through holes 17a and 17b are provided in each of the outer walls 15c and 15d. The planar shape of the through holes 17a and 17b is circular. The inner diameter of the through hole 17a formed in the outer wall 15c is smaller than the outer diameter of the flanges 11a and 11b of the ferrule 4. The inner diameter of the through hole 17b formed in the outer wall 15d is equal to the outer diameter of the flanges 11a and 11b. The through hole 17a and the through hole 17b are arranged coaxially with each other.

  In the connector housing 5 having the above-described configuration, the distal end portion 4a of the ferrule 4 is accommodated in the opening 16 through the through hole 17b, and then the distal end portion 4a of the ferrule 4 is positioned outside the connector housing 5 through the through hole 17a. The flange 11 is positioned in the connector housing 5 in contact with the inner surface of the outer wall 15 c, that is, the inner surface of the connector housing 5. The connector housing 5 accommodates one end 11 b from the central portion 11 a of the ferrule 4 in the opening 16.

  The optical axes of the optical fibers 8 attached to the ferrule 4 accommodated in the connector housing 5 are parallel to each other. One opening 16 accommodates a pair of ferrules 4.

  The leaf spring 6 is made of a sheet metal having a constant thickness, and is formed by bending the sheet metal. A pair of leaf springs 6 is accommodated in the opening 16, that is, in the connector housing 5. When the leaf spring 6 is accommodated in the opening 16, that is, in the connector housing 5, the leaf spring 6 biases the ferrule 4 in a direction in which the tip end portion 4 a protrudes outside the connector housing 5.

  The optical connector 3 having the above-described configuration is assembled as follows. The end of the optical fiber cable 7 is attached to the base end portion 4 b of each ferrule 4. After the distal end portion 4a of each ferrule 4 is accommodated in the connector housing 5 through the through hole 17b, the ferrule 4 is positioned outside the connector housing 5 through the through hole 17a. The leaf spring 6 is inserted into the connector housing 5 through the opening 16. The leaf spring 6 biases the ferrule 4 in a direction in which the tip end portion 4 a protrudes outside the connector housing 5. Thus, the optical connector 3 is assembled.

  The connector attaching / detaching structure 1 attaches / detaches the optical connector 3 to / from the frame-shaped receiving portion 24 described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the connector attaching / detaching structure 1 includes a fulcrum portion 26, an engaging / disengaging portion 27, and a rotation allowing portion 28.

  The fulcrum portion 26 is provided at one end portion 5 a of the connector housing 5 at one edge portion 29 a in the arrow S direction, that is, in the width direction of the connector housing 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the fulcrum part 26 includes a fulcrum protrusion 30 and a hole 31 as a recess. The fulcrum protrusion 30 is provided on one edge portion 29 a in the width direction S of the one end portion 5 a of the connector housing 5. The fulcrum protrusion 30 protrudes outward from the connector housing 5 along the arrow S from the aforementioned one edge portion 29a.

  The hole 31 is provided in the inner surface 25b of one beam 25 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 25a) facing the one edge portion 29a of the receiving portion 24 when the one end portion 5a of the connector housing 5 is accommodated in the receiving portion 24. It has been. The inner surface 25b forms the inner surface of the receiving portion 24 described in this specification. The hole 31 passes through one beam 25 a along the arrow S, that is, the width direction of the connector housing 5. For this reason, the hole 31 is formed in a concave shape from the inner surface 25b of the one beam 25a, that is, the inner surface of the receiving portion 24 described above. The fulcrum protrusion 30 enters the hole 31. In addition, a gap exists between the fulcrum protrusion 30 that has entered the hole 31 and the inner surface of the hole 31.

  Further, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is movable in the hole 31 along the arrow T (shown in FIG. 5 and the like) orthogonal to the arrow S described above. For this reason, the fulcrum protrusion 30 is loosely inserted into the hole 31. The loose insertion means that the fulcrum protrusion 30 is movable in the hole 31. The arrow T indicates the direction in which the connector housing 5 described in this specification enters the back of the receiving portion 24.

  Since the fulcrum protrusion 30 is movable along the arrow T in the hole 31 when the fulcrum protrusion 30 is inserted into the hole 31, the fulcrum part 26 rotates the connector housing 5 around the one edge 29a described above. Support freely.

  The engagement / disengagement unit 27 includes a locking protrusion 32. The locking protrusion 32 is provided on the other edge portion 29 b on the opposite side of the one edge portion 29 a of the connector housing 5 in the arrow S direction. The locking protrusion 32 protrudes outward of the connector housing 5 along the arrow S from the other edge portion 29b described above. The locking protrusion 32 can be locked to the beam 25 c of the receiving portion 24 facing the beam 25 a described above. That is, the locking protrusion 32 can be locked in the receiving portion 24. The engaging / disengaging portion 27 is engaged with the other end of the one end portion 5a of the connector housing 5 when the engaging protrusion 32 is engaged with the receiving portion 24 or when the engaging protrusion 32 is released from being engaged with the receiving portion 24. 29b is engaged with the receiving part 24. Engagement / disengagement means locking or disengaging (releasing the locking).

  The rotation allowing portion 28 includes a tapered surface 33. The tapered surface 33 is provided on the inner surface 25b of the one beam 25a described above. That is, the tapered surface 33 is provided on the inner surface of the receiving portion 24 near the one edge portion 29 a of the connector housing 5. The tapered surface 33 is inclined in a direction in which the opening of the receiving portion 24, that is, the through hole 23 gradually expands toward the outside of the receiving portion 24, that is, the outside of the electronic device 2. The tapered surface 33 is inclined with respect to the arrows S and T described above.

  The rotation allowing portion 28 does not prevent (allow) the connector housing 5 from rotating around the fulcrum portion 26 because the tapered surface 33 is inclined as described above.

  In the connector attaching / detaching structure 1, the difference between the width of the hole 31 in the arrow T direction (also referred to as depth) and the width of the fulcrum protrusion 30 in the arrow T direction (also referred to as depth) is L1 (shown in FIG. 5). And Let L11 be the amount of protrusion of the fulcrum protrusion 30 from one edge 29a in the arrow S direction. As shown in FIG. 5, when the fulcrum protrusion 30 enters the hole 31 and the locking protrusion 32 is locked in the receiving portion 24, the connector housing 5 is urged outward of the receiving portion 24. An angle formed by the outer surface 5b on the one edge portion 29a side of the connector housing 5 and the tapered surface 33 described above is θ1. Further, the angle θ1 forms an angle formed by the arrow T and the surface of the tapered surface 33 described above. The width (also referred to as thickness) of the fulcrum protrusion 30 in the arrow T direction is d, and the difference L1, the protrusion amount L11, the angle θ1, and the width d satisfy Expression 5 described above.

  In addition, the fulcrum protrusion 30 enters the hole 31 and the locking protrusion 32 is locked in the receiving portion 24, and the connector housing 5 is urged outwardly from the receiving portion 24. The outer surface 5b on the side of one edge 29a (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 6), one edge 29a is urged toward the back of the receiving portion 24, and the other edge 29b is outward of the receiving portion 24. The angle formed by the outer surface 5b (shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) on the one edge portion 29a side of the connector housing 5 in a state of being biased by is defined as θ2. The angle θ1 and the angle θ2 described above satisfy Expression 6 described above.

  The sum of the width H2 of the connector housing 5 in the arrow S direction and the protrusion amount L11 of the fulcrum protrusion 30 is L2. The sum L2 and the angle θ2 satisfy Expression 7 described above.

  When the optical connector 3 is attached to the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2 in the connector attaching / detaching structure 1 having the above-described configuration, first, the aforementioned outer surface 5b of the connector housing 5 is formed into a tapered surface 33 as shown in FIG. The fulcrum protrusion 30 is inserted into the hole 31 in a superimposed manner. Then, the optical connector 3 is rotated around the fulcrum protrusion 30 and the hole 31, that is, the fulcrum portion 26, in a direction in which the one end portion 5 a of the connector housing 5 enters the receiving portion 24. Then, the beam 25c of the receiving portion 24 comes into contact with the locking projection 32, and the beam 25c of the receiving portion 24 is elastically deformed in the direction in which the opening of the receiving portion 24 expands, and the amount of protrusion from the connector housing 5 is reduced. The locking protrusion 32 is elastically deformed in the direction to be moved. Then, in the connector attaching / detaching structure 1, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking protrusion 32 is locked in the receiving portion 24, and the optical connector 3 is attached to the electronic device 2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical connector 3 attached to the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2 is detached from the receiving portion 24 as follows in the connector attaching / detaching structure 1 having the above-described configuration. First, one edge portion 29 a of the connector housing 5 is biased toward the back of the receiving portion 24, and the other edge portion 29 b is biased outward of the receiving portion 24. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the fulcrum protrusion 30 comes into contact with the inner surface of the hole 31 on the back side of the receiving portion 24, and the locking protrusion 32 comes into contact with the inner surface of the beam 25 c of the receiving portion 24.

  Then, the optical connector 3 is rotated about the fulcrum protrusion 30 and the hole 31, that is, the fulcrum portion 26, in a direction in which the one end portion 5 a of the connector housing 5 comes out of the receiving portion 24. Then, the beam 25c of the receiving portion 24 comes into contact with the locking projection 32, and the beam 25c of the receiving portion 24 is elastically deformed in the direction in which the opening of the receiving portion 24 expands, and the amount of protrusion from the connector housing 5 is reduced. The locking protrusion 32 is elastically deformed in the direction to be moved. Then, in the connector attaching / detaching structure 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the locking projection 32 comes out of the receiving portion 24, and the optical connector 3 is detached from the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2.

  According to the present embodiment, by rotating around the fulcrum portion 26, the engagement / disengagement portion 27 is engaged / disengaged with the reception portion 24, and the optical connector 3 is attached / detached to / from the reception portion 24. For this reason, the engagement / disengagement part 27 can be engaged / disengaged by pressing the part away from the fulcrum part 26 of the connector housing 5 along the arrow S according to the principle of the lever. Further, the force applied to engage / disengage the engagement / disengagement portion 27 can be reduced. That is, the optical connector 3 can be attached and detached with a weaker force than when the connector housing 5 is pulled along the longitudinal direction of the ferrule 4 as a terminal fitting housed in the connector housing 5.

  For this reason, the optical connector 3 can be easily attached and detached, and the efficiency of the work of attaching and detaching the optical connector 3 can be prevented from being lowered.

  In addition, since the optical connector 3 can be attached and detached with a weaker force than when the connector housing 5 is pulled along the longitudinal direction of the ferrule 4 as a terminal fitting housed in the connector housing 5, particularly when the optical connector 3 is removed, There is no need to use a jig or the like. For this reason, the optical connector 3 can be prevented from being unexpectedly damaged by a jig or the like used for removing the optical connector 3.

  Therefore, the optical connector 3 can be easily attached to and detached from the receiving portion 24 without being damaged.

  A fulcrum protrusion 30 protruding from one edge 29 a of the connector housing 5 of the fulcrum part 26 is movable along the arrow T in the hole 31. For this reason, when the connector housing 5 rotates centering on the fulcrum part 26, it can prevent that the fulcrum protrusion 30 and the hole 31 interfere with each other (it collides).

  Further, a tapered surface 33 is provided on the inner surface of the receiving portion 24 near the one edge portion 29a and is inclined in a direction in which the receiving portion 24 is gradually expanded toward the outer side of the receiving portion 24. For this reason, when the connector housing 5 rotates centering on the fulcrum part 26, it can prevent that the taper surface 33 and the outer surface 5b of the connector housing 5 mutually interfere (collision).

  Therefore, the connector housing 5, that is, the optical connector 3 can be reliably rotated around the fulcrum portion 26, and the optical connector 3 can be securely attached to and detached from the receiving portion 24.

  Since the above formula 5 is satisfied, the fulcrum protrusion 30 can be reliably inserted into the hole 31. That is, the optical connector 3 can be securely attached to the receiving portion 24. Further, since the above expression 6 is satisfied, the optical connector 3 can be detached from the receiving portion 24. Therefore, the optical connector 3 can be securely attached to and detached from the receiving portion 24.

  Since Expression 7 is satisfied, the optical connector 3 can be removed from the receiving portion 24.

  In the embodiment described above, the optical connector 3 is detachable from the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2. However, in the present invention, a known electrical connector having a terminal fitting made of sheet metal or the like may be detachable from the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2. Further, the optical connector 3 is detachable from the receiving portion 24 of the electronic device 2. However, in the present invention, the connectors may be detachable. In this case, the connector housing of the mating connector corresponds to the receiving portion 24.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the optical connector and electronic device which were attached by the attachment or detachment structure of the connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which isolate | separated the optical connector and electronic device which were shown by FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the optical connector shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the optical connector shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VV line in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which urged | biased the fulcrum protrusion of the connector attachment / detachment structure shown by FIG. 5 in the back of the receiving part, and urged | biased the latching protrusion in the outward direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which cancelled | released the latching of the latching protrusion of the attachment or detachment structure of the connector shown by FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment / detachment structure of the connector of this invention goods typically in a partial cross section. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the attachment / detachment structure of the connector of a comparative example in a partial cross section. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the state which urged | biased the fulcrum protrusion of the attachment / detachment structure of the connector shown by FIG. 8 in the back of the receiving part, and urged | biased the latching protrusion in the outward direction of the part. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the state which cancelled | released the latching of the latching protrusion of the attachment or detachment structure of the connector shown by FIG. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows the partial cross section of the attachment or detachment structure of the connector shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Connector attachment / detachment structure 3 Optical connector (connector)
4 Ferrule (terminal fitting)
5 Connector housing 5a One end 5b Outer surface 24 Connector receiving portion 25b Inner surface (receiving portion inner surface)
26 fulcrum portion 27 engagement / disengagement portion 28 rotation allowance portion 29a one edge portion 29b other edge portion 30 fulcrum protrusion 31 hole (concave portion)
32 Locking projection 33 Tapered surface d Width of fulcrum projection L1 Difference between recess width and fulcrum projection L11 Projection amount of fulcrum projection L2 Sum of width of connector housing and projection amount of fulcrum projection θ1 Outer surface and taper surface Angle formed by θ2 Angle formed by outer surfaces T Direction in which the connector housing enters the back of the receiving part

Claims (3)

In the connector attachment / detachment structure in which the connector provided with the connector housing is detachable from the connector receiving portion,
The receiving part is formed in a frame shape and accommodates one end of the connector housing;
A fulcrum projecting outward along the width direction of the connector housing from the one edge of the connector housing in order to make the connector housing rotatable about one edge of the one end of the connector housing. A fulcrum portion including a protrusion and a recess that is recessed from the inner surface of the receiving portion and into which the fulcrum protrusion is loosely inserted;
In order to engage and disengage the other edge portion of the one end portion of the connector housing opposite to the one edge portion with respect to the receiving portion, from the other edge portion of the connector housing along the width direction of the connector housing. An engagement / disengagement portion provided with a locking projection that protrudes outward and can be locked in the receiving portion;
In order to allow the connector housing to rotate around the fulcrum part, it is provided on the inner surface of the receiving part where the recess is provided, and the opening of the receiving part gradually expands toward the outside of the receiving part. A rotation allowing portion having a tapered surface inclined with respect to a direction in which the one end portion of the connector housing enters the back of the receiving portion;
The fulcrum projection is in a state in which the fulcrum projection penetrates into the recess and engaged with the locking projection is received section, before along the direction in which the one end of the connector housing from entering the back of the receiving portion Can move freely in the recess, and
A connector attaching / detaching structure, wherein a connector housing is rotated about the fulcrum part, the engaging / disengaging part is engaged / disengaged with the receiving part, and the connector is detachably attached to the receiving part. L1 is the difference between the width of the recess in the direction in which the one end of the connector housing goes to the back of the receiving portion and the width of the fulcrum protrusion,
The amount of protrusion of the fulcrum protrusion from the one edge in the width direction of the connector housing is L11,
The fulcrum protrusion enters the recess and the locking projection is received engaged with the portion of the one edge side of the connector housing in a state where the connector housing is biased in a direction escaping from the receiving portion The angle between the outer surface and the tapered surface is θ1,
The outer surface on the one edge side of the connector housing in a state in which the fulcrum protrusion enters the recess and the locking protrusion is locked in the receiving portion and is biased in the direction of coming out of the receiving portion; An outer surface on the one edge side of the connector housing in a state where the one edge portion is urged toward the back of the receiving portion and the other edge portion is urged in a direction of coming out of the receiving portion; The angle formed by, is θ2,
When the width of the fulcrum protrusion in the direction in which the one end portion of the connector housing goes to the back of the receiving portion is d,
2. The connector attaching / detaching structure according to claim 1, wherein both of L11 × sin θ1-d (1-cos θ1) ≦ L1 and θ2 <θ1 are satisfied. When the sum of the width H2 of the connector housing and the protrusion amount L11 of the fulcrum protrusion is L2,
The connector attaching / detaching structure according to claim 2, wherein θ2 = arcsin (L1 / L2) is satisfied.

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