JP4770697B2 - Fast connection terminal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a quick connection terminal device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a wiring device such as a switch or an outlet, a quick connection terminal device is widely used to connect an electric wire introduced into a container through an electric wire insertion hole provided in the container. This type of quick connection terminal device is well known in the art, and the electric wire (conductor) is sandwiched between the terminal plate and the terminal plate electrically connected to the contact of the switch or the blade holder of the outlet, etc. release button to release the lock spring to the retaining and locking the wire at the same time electrically connected to the locking by being in locking spring operated with a tool such as a driver through the operation hole provided in the device body the terminal plate and It consists of and.

  However, since the above-mentioned conventional quick connection terminal device does not know from the outside whether or not the electric wire is securely connected, there is a problem of giving anxiety to the installer and a tool is required for operating the release button. Therefore, there is a problem that the work of removing the electric wires is troublesome.

  On the other hand, the applicant of the present invention has disclosed a quick-connect terminal device in which a lock by a lock spring is released with a release lever that can be operated manually without using a tool, and a wire connection completion display is performed with the release lever. It has already been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Such a conventional example includes a terminal plate 10, a lock spring 20, and a release lever 30 as shown in FIG. 7. The terminal plate 10 includes a strip-shaped main piece 11, a pair of contact pieces 12 that are hung backward from one edge along the longitudinal direction of the main piece 11, and the other of the other along the longitudinal direction of the main piece 11. The main piece 11, the contact piece 12, and the contact piece 13 are integrally formed by processing an elastic band-shaped metal plate. The contact piece 12 has a pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b that press the electric wire at both ends along the insertion direction of the electric wire (vertical direction in FIG. 7), and a direction in which the tip of the upper pressing portion 12b is separated from the contact piece 13 And a locked portion 12c that is bent and raised, and a wire between the pressing portion 12b and the main piece 11 faces the wire insertion hole 101 penetrating the bottom wall of the container body 100 of the wiring device. The insertion part 14 into which is inserted is formed.

  The lock spring 20 is formed by bending a belt-shaped metal plate having elasticity into a substantially J shape, and has a bowl-shaped conductive piece 21 that contacts the main piece 11 and the contact piece 13 of the terminal plate 10, and a conductive piece 21. The tip of the spring piece 22 that has a spring piece 22 bent in a substantially U shape from the lower end of the wire and abuts against the electric wire to prevent it from coming off becomes a locking part. The lock spring 20 is disposed inside the terminal plate 10 in such a manner that the conducting piece 21 is brought into contact with the main piece 11 and the contact piece 13 and the spring piece 22 is opposed to the contact piece 12. And the electric wire inserted from the electric wire insertion hole 101 is clamped between the contact piece 12 of the terminal board 10 and the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20, and the locking part (the tip of the spring piece 22) is brought into contact with the electric wire. Can be prevented.

The release lever 30 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, has a rod-like operation portion 31, a rectangular plate-like engagement portion 32 that is disposed substantially parallel to the operation portion 31, and the length of the operation portion 31 and the engagement portion 32. connecting portion for connecting the opposite ends together (not shown), an arm portion protruding to each side towards Ri by connecting portions (not shown), without the shaft portion (shown protruding from the front end portion of the arm portion inwardly ) And projecting pusher portions 36 and 36 projecting from a position near the center of the tip end surface of the shaft portion are integrally formed.

  In the conventional example configured as described above, when the electric wire 200 is not connected, the locking portion 32 is locked (latched) to the locked portion 12c of the terminal plate 10 as shown in FIG. The release lever 30 is rotated to the rotation position (hereinafter referred to as “initial position”). When the release lever 30 is in the initial position, both ends of the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20 are pushed by the pair of pushing portions 36, 36, and the lock portion (the tip of the spring piece 22) is separated from the contact piece 12. It is in a state of bending in the direction. At this time, the release lever 30 is elastically biased in the counter-operation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 7) by the spring force of the spring piece 22, but the locking portion 32 is locked to the locked portion 12c of the terminal board 10. Therefore, the release lever 30 is held at the initial position.

  Then, when the conductor 201 of the electric wire 200 is introduced between the contact piece 12 and the spring piece 22 through the electric wire insertion hole 101, the tip of the conductor 201 comes into contact with the engaging portion 32 of the release lever 30 through the insertion portion 14, The part 32 is pushed up to release the latched state of the locking part 32 and the locked part 12c. Then, the release lever 30 that is elastically biased by the spring force of the spring piece 22 rotates in the counter-operation direction, and the lock portion at the tip of the spring piece 22 comes into contact with the conductor 201 to prevent the electric wire 200 from coming off. At the same time, the conductor 201 elastically contacts the contact piece 12 by the spring force of the spring piece 22. Furthermore, the conductor 201 is pressed toward the spring piece 22 by the pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b, and the pressing force of the locking portion and the pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b is balanced to hold the electric wire 200.

On the other hand, if the operation unit 31 is pushed upward while the electric wire 200 is connected, the release lever 30 rotates in the opposite direction to the connection (clockwise in FIG. 7) with the shaft portion as a fulcrum, The spring portions 22 are bent so that the pushing portions 36, 36 press the spring pieces 22 of the lock spring 20 and the lock portions (tips of the spring pieces 22) that are in contact with the conductor 201 are separated from the conductor 201. 200 extractions are possible.

  Thus, in the above conventional example, when the connection with the electric wire 200 is completed, the operation part 31 of the release lever 30 moves to a position below the initial position, so that the completion of the connection of the electric wire can be displayed. An increase in the number of parts can be suppressed by using the release lever 30 for releasing the connection of 200 as a connection completion display of the electric wire 200.

  However, in the above conventional example, in the state where the electric wire 200 is connected, the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20 does not come into contact with the pushing portions 36, 36, so that the body 1 is held with the front face directed vertically downward. In this case, the release lever 30 may move in the operation direction due to its own weight, and the connection completion display may become unclear.

On the other hand, the present applicant has proposed a quick connection terminal device in which an auxiliary spring that elastically biases the release lever in the counter-operation direction is formed integrally with the release lever (see Patent Document 2). If this technical idea is applied to the above-described conventional example, the release lever is always elastically biased in the counter-operation direction by the auxiliary spring, so that the locking portion 32 and the locked portion 12c are held even when held as described above. The release lever 30 in the unlocked state can be prevented from moving in the operation direction by its own weight, and the connection completion can be reliably displayed.
JP 2006-12634 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-1000085

  However, as described in Patent Document 2, when the auxiliary spring is integrally formed of a synthetic resin molded product together with the release lever 30, the auxiliary spring creeps when left in a state of being elastically biased for a long period of time. Therefore, there is a possibility that the release lever cannot be prevented from moving in the operation direction by its own weight.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a quick connection terminal device capable of reliably displaying a connection completion by a release lever.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a terminal plate that comes into contact with an electric wire introduced into the container through an electric wire insertion hole provided in the container of the wiring device, and the terminal using a spring force. A connecting means for holding the electric wire between the plate and the locking portion biting into the electric wire to prevent the electric wire from being removed; and a releasing means for releasing the retaining state by the connecting means. An operating part that is exposed on the surface of the body and is manually operated, a shaft part that is pivotally supported in the body and that allows the operation part to rotate, and the operating part is manually rotated around the shaft part. A release lever provided with a pushing portion that pushes the locking portion that bites into the electric wire of the connecting means against the spring force when moved, and moves the release lever in a counter-operation direction. An urging means for elastically urging the urging force against the urging force of the urging means. The working part latches the release lever at a rotation position away from the container, and latches by the electric wire when the electric wire introduced into the container through the electric wire insertion hole is connected to the terminal plate by the connecting means. A fast-coupling terminal device having a latch means for releasing the state, comprising a leaf spring made of a metal material insert-molded on the release lever made of a synthetic resin molded product, and the release lever in a counter-operation direction An auxiliary spring that is elastically biased is provided , and the plurality of auxiliary springs are formed such that one end portion in the longitudinal direction is insert-molded to the release lever and connected to the other end portion in the longitudinal direction .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the release lever includes a plurality of pushing portions that move the plurality of locking portions separately and a connecting portion that connects the plurality of pushing portions. It is characterized by doing.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a leaf spring made of a metal material insert-molded on the release lever made of a synthetic resin molded product, and provided with an auxiliary spring that elastically biases the release lever in the counter-operation direction. The release lever in the state in which the locking portion and the locked portion are unlocked can be prevented from moving in the operation direction by its own weight, and the auxiliary spring is formed of a leaf spring made of a metal material. Therefore, the malfunction of the release lever due to creep deformation can be prevented, and as a result, the completion of connection by the release lever can be reliably displayed. Further, it is possible to more reliably prevent the release lever from moving in the counter-operation direction due to its own weight, and further, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary spring from being deformed.

According to the invention of claim 2, the release lever includes a plurality of pushing portions that move the plurality of locking portions separately and a connecting portion that connects the plurality of pushing portions. The displacement of the pushing portion when receiving a load from the portion can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the quick connection terminal device of the present embodiment includes a terminal plate 10, a lock spring 20, and a release lever 30.

  The terminal plate 10 includes a strip-shaped main piece 11, a pair of contact pieces 12 that are hung backward from one edge along the longitudinal direction of the main piece 11, and the other of the other along the longitudinal direction of the main piece 11. The main piece 11, the contact piece 12, and the contact piece 13 are integrally formed by processing an elastic band-shaped metal plate. In addition, when the quick connection terminal device of this embodiment is provided in an outlet, a blade receiver is formed integrally with the terminal plate 10, and when provided in a switch, a contact is formed integrally with the terminal plate 10. In the present embodiment, configurations relating to wiring devices such as outlets and switches are omitted. The contact piece 12 has a pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b that press the electric wire at both ends along the insertion direction of the electric wire (vertical direction in FIG. 1), and a direction that leaves the tip of the upper pressing portion 12b away from the contact piece 13. The insertion portion 14 is formed between the pressing portion 12b and the main piece 11 so as to face an electric wire insertion hole 101 described later and through which the electric wire is inserted.

  The lock spring 20 is formed by bending a belt-shaped metal plate having elasticity into a substantially J shape, and has a bowl-shaped conductive piece 21 that contacts the main piece 11 and the contact piece 13 of the terminal plate 10, and a conductive piece 21. The tip of the spring piece 22 that has a spring piece 22 bent in a substantially U shape from the lower end of the wire and abuts against the electric wire to prevent it from coming off becomes a locking part. Further, the spring piece 22 is provided with a bent portion 22a that protrudes in a direction away from the electric wire (a direction approaching the conductive piece 21). As shown in FIG. 4, the lock spring 20 is disposed on the inner side of the terminal plate 10 such that the conducting piece 21 is brought into contact with the main piece 11 and the contact piece 13 and the spring piece 22 is opposed to the contact piece 12. . Here, the width dimension of the contact piece 12 is narrower than the width dimension of the spring piece 22, and the spring pieces 22 are formed on both sides of the contact piece 12 when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the electric wire (left and right direction in FIG. 1). Has come to protrude. The terminal plate 10 and the lock spring 20 configured as described above are stored in a terminal plate storage chamber 102 provided in a body 100a that constitutes a body 100 of a wiring device such as a switch or an outlet, as shown in FIG. A pair of electric wire insertion holes 101 are formed through the bottom wall of the terminal plate storage chamber 102. In wiring devices such as switches and outlets, the terminal plate 10 is connected to conductive parts such as switch contacts and outlet blade receptacles, and the switch contacts, outlet blade receptacles and electric wires are connected via the terminal plate 10. Will be conducted.

  The release lever 30 includes a lever body made of a synthetic resin molded product and a metal plate block that is insert-molded in the lever body. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lever body includes a rod-shaped operation portion 31, a pair of restriction ribs 33, 33 protruding forward (upward in FIG. 1) from both longitudinal ends of the operation portion 31, and a restriction rib 33. 33, a pair of arm portions 34, 34 projecting laterally from each other, a pair of shaft portions 35, 35 projecting inwardly from the tip portions of the arm portions 34, 34, and the shaft portions 35, 35 near the center of the tip surface A pair of protruding pusher portions 36 and 36 projecting from the positions of the two and a connecting portion 37 disposed in parallel with the operation portion 31 so as to connect the pair of pusher portions 36 and 36 are integrally formed. Has been. The metal plate block is formed by integrally forming a locking piece 40, a support member 41, and an auxiliary spring 42 by bending an elastic strip-shaped metal plate. The locking piece 40 and the support members 41 and 41 that support the locking piece 40 are formed in a substantially U shape, and are engaged at the distal ends of the support members 41 and 41 that protrude from both arm portions 34 and 34 of the lever body. Both ends of the stop piece 40 are supported. The locking piece 40 is arranged in parallel with the operation portion 31 at a slight distance from the tip portions of the regulating ribs 33, 33, and has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped locking portion 43 made of a synthetic resin molded product at the center in the longitudinal direction. Is integrally molded. Further, the support member 41 is curved so as to approach the regulating ribs 33 and 33 of the lever body, and is disposed along the regulating ribs 33 and 33 (see FIG. 3A). Here, the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the locking piece 40 is normally locked (latched) to the locked portion 12 c of the terminal board 10, but compared to the locking piece 40 and the support members 41, 41. By providing the locking part 43 having a large width and thickness, there is an advantage that the locking with the locked part 12c can be easily performed. The auxiliary spring 42 is substantially bowl-shaped and protrudes from the front end surface of the pressing portion 36 on one side and is arranged substantially parallel to the regulating rib 33. However, a reinforcing projection 36 a that reinforces the base portion of the auxiliary spring 42 is provided in the push portion 36.

  Here, in this embodiment, two each of the quick connection terminal devices are provided for each terminal plate 10 including those for the feed wiring, and these two quick connection terminal devices together with each terminal plate 10 and the lock spring 20 are provided in the body. 100a is housed side by side in the terminal board storage chambers 102, 102 provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of 100a. A plurality of vertical grooves 104 communicating with the terminal plate storage chamber 102 are provided on the side surface of the body 100 a, and the regulating ribs 33 and 33 and the operation unit 31 are disposed outside the container body 100 through a pair of adjacent vertical grooves 104 and 104. The release lever 30 is attached to the body 100a in the disposed state (see FIG. 2). A pair of supporting ribs (not shown) for supporting the shaft portions 35, 35 when the release lever 30 is rotated are located between the pair of vertical grooves 104, 104 and the wire insertion hole 101 in the body 100 a. Is provided. Note that, in the state of being stored in the terminal plate storage chamber 102, the distal end portion of the auxiliary spring 42 is in contact with the contact piece 13 of the terminal plate 10.

  In the quick connection terminal device of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the electric wire 200 is not connected, the locking portion 43 is the locked portion of the terminal plate 10 as shown in FIG. The release lever 30 is rotated to a rotation position that is latched with 12c (hereinafter, this rotation position is referred to as an “initial position”). When the release lever 30 is in the initial position, both ends of the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20 are pushed by the pair of pushing portions 36, 36, and the lock portion (the tip of the spring piece 22) is separated from the contact piece 12. It is in a state of bending in the direction. At this time, the auxiliary spring 42 whose tip is in contact with the contact piece 13 is bent, and the release lever 30 is moved in the counter-operation direction (by the return force (spring force) of the auxiliary spring 42 and the spring force of the spring piece 22). The release lever 30 is held in the initial position because the locking portion 43 is locked to the locked portion 12c of the terminal board 10 although it is elastically biased in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. become.

  When the conductor 201 of the electric wire 200 is introduced between the contact piece 12 and the spring piece 22 through the electric wire insertion hole 101, the tip of the conductor 201 is engaged with the release lever 30 through the insertion portion 14 as shown in FIG. It abuts on the stop portion 43 and pushes up the lock portion 43 to release the latched state of the lock portion 43 and the locked portion 12c. Then, the release lever 30 that is elastically biased by the spring force of the spring piece 22 and the auxiliary spring 42 rotates in the counter-operation direction, and the lock portion at the tip of the spring piece 22 contacts the conductor 201, whereby the electric wire 200 is connected. The conductor 201 is elastically contacted with the contact piece 12 by the spring force of the spring piece 22 while being prevented from coming off. Furthermore, the conductor 201 is pressed toward the spring piece 22 by the pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b, and the pressing force of the locking portion and the pair of pressing portions 12a and 12b is balanced to hold the electric wire 200. That is, when the connection between the terminal board 10 and the electric wire 200 is completed, the operation part 31 of the release lever 30 moves to a position below the initial position, whereby the electric wire connection completion display can be visually confirmed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4D, if the operation unit 31 is pushed upward while the electric wire 200 is connected, the release lever with the shafts 35 and 35 supported by the support ribs as fulcrums. 30 is rotated in a direction opposite to that at the time of connection (clockwise direction in FIG. 4), and the pushing portions 36, 36 press the spring pieces 22 of the lock spring 20 to contact the conductor 201 ( The electric wire 200 can be pulled out by bending the spring piece 22 so that the tip of the spring piece 22 is separated from the conductor 201. Here, in the conventional example, when the release lever 30 is operated to release the connection of the electric wire 200, the locking portion 32 comes into contact with the conductor 201 of the electric wire 200 as shown in FIG. After the wire 201 is pulled up along the conductor 201 and the wire 200 is pulled out, the locking portion 32 cannot be locked to the locked portion 12c, and the release lever 30 becomes completely free. In order to do this, it is necessary to operate the release lever 30 to lock the locking portion 32 to the locked portion 12c and return to the initial position (see FIG. 7C).

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, even if the release lever 30 is operated and the locking portion 43 comes into contact with the conductor 201, the support members 41 and 41 supporting the locking portion 43 are connected to the regulating ribs 33 and 33. The release lever 30 does not rise along the conductor 201 by bending in the direction of reducing the distance (leftward in FIG. 4). As a result, since the locking portion 43 is automatically locked to the locked portion 12c after the electric wire 200 is pulled out and returns to the initial position, the release lever is released again after releasing the connection of the electric wire 200 as in the conventional example. It is not necessary to operate 30 to lock the locking portion 43 to the locked portion 12c, and the wire connection work can be simplified. In addition, the regulation ribs 33 and 33 are arrange | positioned at the tip of the direction in which the supporting members 41 and 41 bend, respectively, and it is not necessary for the supporting members 41 and 41 to bend more than necessary (for example, the extent which plastically deforms). It can be prevented by being regulated by the regulation ribs 33, 33.

  Further, as described in the prior art, when the connection of the electric wire 200 is completed, the engagement between the locking portion 43 and the locked portion 12c is released and the release lever 30 rotates in the counter-operation direction. Since the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20 does not come into contact with the pushing portions 36, 36 in a state where is connected, the container body 100 is held with the bottom surface where the wire insertion hole 101 is opened vertically upward. Without the auxiliary spring 42, the release lever 30 moves in the operating direction under its own weight, and the connection completion display may become unclear. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the release lever 30 is always elastically biased in the counter-operation direction by the auxiliary spring 42. Therefore, even when the release lever 30 is held as described above, the locking portion 43 and the locked portion 12c The release lever 30 in the unlocked state can be prevented from moving in the operation direction by its own weight, and the connection completion can be reliably displayed. In addition, the auxiliary spring integrally molded with the lever body with a synthetic resin material as in the conventional example may be creep-deformed when left in the initial position in a warehouse or the like for a long time. Since the auxiliary spring 42 is constituted by a metal spring made of a metal material that is insert-molded in the lever body of the release lever 30 made of a resin molded product, it is possible to prevent creep deformation when left for a long period of time. The connection completion indication by the release lever 30 can be reliably performed.

  In the present embodiment, only one auxiliary spring 42 is provided. However, as shown in FIG. 6A, if the auxiliary springs 42 and 42 protrude from the pair of pushing portions 36 and 36, respectively, the release lever It can prevent more reliably that 30 moves to a counter operation direction with dead weight. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6B, if the pair of auxiliary springs 42 and 42 are connected to each other at the tip portion, the deformation of the auxiliary springs 42 and 42 can be prevented.

  By the way, since a load is applied to the pair of pushing portions 36, 36 of the release lever 30 from the spring piece 22 of the lock spring 20, the pair of pushing portions 36, 36 may be displaced (fall down) in a direction approaching each other. is there. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by providing the lever main body with a connecting portion 37 arranged in parallel with the operation portion 31 so as to connect the pair of pushing portions 36, 36, the pushing portions 36, 36 are prevented from falling inward. It is preventing. Further, with respect to the connecting portion 37, when the release lever 30 is in the initial position (see FIG. 5A), and when the release lever 30 is in a position indicating the completion of electric wire connection (FIG. 5B). In any case, the shape and size are not overlapped with the wire insertion hole 101 when viewed from the insertion direction of the wire 200.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a perspective view same as the above. The release lever in the same as above is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a top view, and (e) is a bottom view. (A)-(d) is sectional drawing which a part was abbreviate | omitted for operation | movement description same as the above. (A), (b) is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the other structural example of the cancellation | release lever in the same as the above. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing which a part of conventional example was abbreviate | omitted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Terminal board 12 Contact piece 12c Locked part 20 Lock spring 22 Spring piece 30 Release lever 31 Operation part 34 Arm part 35 Shaft part 36 Pushing part 42 Auxiliary spring 43 Locking part

Claims (2)

A terminal plate that comes into contact with an electric wire introduced into the container through an electric wire insertion hole provided in the container body of the wiring device, and the electric wire is sandwiched between the terminal plate using a spring force and a locking part Includes a connecting means that bites into the electric wire and prevents it from coming off, and a releasing means that releases the retaining state by the connecting means,
The release means includes an operation portion that is exposed on the surface of the vessel and is manually operated, a shaft portion that is pivotally supported in the vessel body and that allows the operation portion to rotate, and the operation portion that uses the shaft portion as a fulcrum. A release lever comprising a pushing portion that pushes the locking portion that bites into the electric wire of the connecting means against the spring force when the portion is rotated manually, An urging means for elastically urging the release lever in a counter-operation direction, and the operation portion latches the release lever at a rotational position away from the body against the urging force of the urging means, and the electric wire A quick-connection terminal device comprising: latch means for releasing the latched state by the electric wire when the electric wire introduced into the container through the insertion hole is connected to the terminal plate by the connecting means;
A plate spring made of a metal material that is insert-molded to the release lever made of a synthetic resin molded product, includes an auxiliary spring that elastically biases the release lever in a counter-operation direction, and the plurality of auxiliary springs are arranged in the longitudinal direction. One terminal part is insert-molded to the said release lever, and is connected with the other end part in the said longitudinal direction, The quick connection terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. The quick release terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the release lever includes a plurality of pushing portions that move the plurality of locking portions separately and a connecting portion that connects the plurality of pushing portions. Equipment .

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