JP4843513B2 - Connector device and electric valve - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector device and a motor-operated valve using the connector device, and more particularly to a connector device and the like capable of preventing poor conduction.

  Conventionally, motor-operated valves have been widely used for flow control of refrigerants in air conditioners and flow control of combustion gases, air, hot water, liquid fuel, etc. in baths and showers.

  For example, as described in Patent Document 1, this type of electric valve normally includes a valve body portion and a drive portion configured to be detachable from the valve body portion. In the motor-operated valve, the stepping motor housed in the drive section and the valve body housed in the cylindrical valve body section are connected via a rod-shaped output rotating shaft. The valve body is connected to a flow path through which a refrigerant or the like flows, and is provided with a valve seat for opening and closing the flow path.

  In the above configuration, when opening and closing the valve, power is supplied to the stepping motor of the drive unit, and the output rotation shaft is rotated. When the rotary motion of the output rotating shaft is converted into the vertical motion of the valve body in the valve body, and when the valve body moves down and comes into contact with the valve seat, the flow path is closed and the valve body moves up and the valve When separated from the seat, the flow path is opened.

JP 2004-257722 A

  In the motor-operated valve, after the stepping motor, the output gear, and the like are accommodated in the drive unit, the drive unit is sealed using a lid member or the like in order to prevent dust and moisture from adhering to the inside. In addition, the drive unit is provided with a receptacle connector (hereinafter referred to as “receptacle” as appropriate) for inserting and connecting a power feeding connector, but there is a possibility that moisture may enter from the connector and the connection part of the receptacle. . For this reason, it is preferable that the receptacle is formed of an elastic body such as rubber and the connector is elastically held on the inner wall of the receptacle when the connector is inserted so that the two can be connected without a gap.

  However, if the receptacle is formed of an elastic body, the click feeling when the connector is inserted cannot be obtained, so it is difficult to confirm whether or not the connector has been inserted to the predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle, resulting in poor conduction. There is a risk of causing it.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art, and it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the connector has been inserted to a predetermined connection position even if a click feeling is not obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector device and the like that can prevent conduction failure.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connector device comprising a connector and a receptacle connector having a recess made of an elastic body capable of accommodating the connector, and the recess has at least one protrusion on its inner surface. The protrusion is provided at a position that is visible from the opening side of the recess when the connector is inserted to a predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle connector.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not the connector can be inserted up to a predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle connector based on whether or not the protrusion can be visually recognized. Can be confirmed. Therefore, even if a click feeling is not obtained, it can be easily confirmed whether or not the connector is properly inserted, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor conduction.

  In the connector device, the protrusion is provided at a position separated from the bottom surface of the recess by a distance equal to or longer than the length in the insertion direction of the side surface of the connector facing the inner surface on which the protrusion of the recess is provided. Can do. According to the said structure, when a connector is inserted to the predetermined connection position with respect to a receptacle connector, a protrusion part will be exposed and it will be in the state which can be visually recognized from the opening side of a recessed part.

  In the connector device, the protrusion can be colored in a color different from that of the connector. According to this, since the protrusion is conspicuous when the protrusion is exposed, the protrusion can be easily visually recognized. It becomes.

  In the connector device, the protrusion can be formed of an elastic body. According to this, since the protrusion is elastically deformed when the connector is inserted, the surface of the connector is damaged or the protrusion is damaged. Can be prevented.

  In the connector device, a plurality of the protrusions can be provided, and two of them can be arranged diagonally. According to this configuration, it can be confirmed whether or not the connector can be inserted straight, and can be surely inserted into the correct position.

  In the connector device, a plurality of the protrusions can be provided, and two of them can be arranged to face each other. According to this configuration, it can be confirmed whether or not the connector can be inserted straight, and can be surely inserted into the correct position.

  Further, the present invention is an electric valve including a drive unit that opens and closes a valve via a motor, and the drive unit includes a receptacle connector to which a connector for supplying power to the motor is connected, and the receptacle connector Has a recess made of an elastic body capable of accommodating the connector, and the recess has at least one protrusion on an inner surface thereof, and the protrusion has a predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle connector. It is provided in the position which can be visually recognized from the opening side of the said recessed part. According to the present invention, as described above, even if the click feeling is not obtained, it can be easily confirmed whether or not the connector can be inserted up to the predetermined connection position, and between the motor and the power feeding connector device. Since it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor conduction, it is possible to provide a motor-operated valve with stable operation.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the connector has been inserted up to a predetermined connection position even if a click feeling is not obtained, and it is possible to prevent poor conduction of the connector device. It becomes.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a motor-operated valve using a connector device according to the present invention. The motor-operated valve 1 includes a drive unit 10 and a valve body unit 30 configured to be detachable from the drive unit 10. With.

  The drive unit 10 accommodates a stepping motor 11, an output gear 12, a speed reduction mechanism 13, and the like, and a motor case 14 is provided so as to cover them. A lid 15 formed of an elastic body such as rubber is fitted on the lower surface of the driving unit 10, and the driving unit 10 is sealed by the lid 15. In the vicinity of the circumferential end of the lid portion 15, a receptacle accommodating portion 16 is formed integrally with the lid portion 15, and a receptacle connector 17 is formed in the receptacle accommodating portion 16. A connector 20 connected to the lead wire 19 is inserted into the receptacle 17.

  A rod-shaped output rotation shaft 21 is connected to the stepping motor 11, and the output rotation shaft 21 is rotatably supported at the upper end thereof by the bearing portion 22 of the drive unit 10 and the lower end thereof is supported by the holder 23. Is done. A male screw portion 21 a is formed on the lower outer peripheral surface of the output rotation shaft 21. The holder 23 is connected to the driving unit 10 with one end inserted through the circular hole 15 a of the lid 15, and a nut 24 for attaching the driving unit 10 to the valve body 30 is attached to the other end of the holder 23. Is done. Further, on the inner surface of the holder 23, a female screw portion 23 a that is screwed with the male screw portion 21 a of the output rotation shaft 21 is formed.

  A valve chamber 32 is formed in the shaft core portion of the valve body 31, and first and second flow paths 41 and 42 through which a refrigerant and the like flow are connected to a lower portion 32 a of the valve chamber 32. A valve body 35 including a valve rod 33 and a valve portion 34 is disposed in the valve chamber 32 so as to be movable up and down, and a bellows 36 is provided between the valve rod 33 and the valve main body 31.

  In the motor-operated valve 1, when the stepping motor 11 is driven and the output rotary shaft 21 rotates, the rotary motion is converted into vertical motion by the male screw portion 21a and the female screw portion 23a, and the output rotary shaft 21 moves up and down. The valve body 35 moves up and down. When the valve body 35 is moved downward and the valve portion 34 comes into contact with the valve seat 32b, the valve body 35 is moved upward and the valve seat 32b is actuated to close the space between the first and second flow paths 41 and 42. When spaced apart from each other, the two channels 41 and 42 are opened.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of the receptacle 17 and the connector 20 of FIG. The connector 20 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like and has a substantially prismatic shape. The connector 20 has a plurality of socket contacts 51 extending in the insertion direction (arrow direction) and is configured as a female connector. At one end of each socket contact 51, a metal connection terminal 52 is provided, and a through hole 53 that opens the socket contact 51 to the front side (the upper side in the drawing) of the connector 20 is provided. A lead wire 19 is inserted from the other end side of the socket contact 51, and the lead wire 19 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 52 inside the socket contact 51.

  Moreover, the notch part 55 and the retainer 56 provided with the taper toward the outer side are provided in the both sides of the connector 20. Further, the connector 20 is provided with a guide protrusion 25 for guiding the orientation and insertion position of the connector 20 when the connector 20 is inserted.

  The receptacle 17 is formed of an elastic body and is colored in a color different from that of the connector 20. The colors of the receptacle 17 and the connector 20 may be any colors as long as they are different from each other. However, in this embodiment, the receptacle 17 is formed integrally with the lid portion 15 and is exposed as compared with the connector 20. Therefore, considering the adhesion of dirt and the like, it is preferable to color the receptacle 17 in a dark color system (for example, black) and the connector 20 in a light color system (for example, white).

  The receptacle 17 has a plurality of pin contacts 61 and is configured as a male connector. The rear part 61 a of the pin contact 61 is connected to the stepping motor 11, and the front part 61 b protrudes to the connection side with the connector 20. The receptacle 17 is formed with a recess 62 for accommodating the connector 20, and the depth D of the recess 62 is longer (deeper) than the length L 1 of the connector 20 in the insertion direction of the main body. A plurality of through holes 63 through which the pin contacts 61 are inserted are provided on the bottom surface 62 a of the recess 62, and these through holes 63 are formed at positions corresponding to the socket contacts 51 of the connector 20.

  A plurality of hemispherical protrusions 64 are provided on the inner surface 62 b of the recess 62. Each protrusion 64 is formed of an elastic body integrally with the recess 62, and the distance L from the bottom surface 62a of the recess 62 to the protrusion 64 is longer than the distance L2 shown in FIG. Here, the distance L2 is the length of the side surface 20a of the connector 20 facing the inner side surface 62b of the recess 62 in the insertion direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusions 64 are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the recess 62, and the height (projection amount) is set to a height that can be seen when looking into the recess 62 from the opening side. Is done. A guide groove 65 corresponding to the guide protrusion 25 of the connector 20 is formed on the inner side surface 62 b of the recess 62.

  Next, usage examples of the connector 20 and the receptacle 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the connector 20 is inserted into the recess 62 of the receptacle 17 from the state of FIG. 2, the retainer 56 of the connector 20 comes into contact with the inner surface 62 b of the recess 62, so that the connector 20 does not have a gap in the receptacle 17. Elastically held. At the same time, the pin contact 61 of the receptacle 17 is inserted into the socket contact 51 of the connector 20, and the front portion 61 b of the pin contact 61 contacts the connection terminal 52 in the socket contact 51.

  Then, the connector 20 is pushed in all the way, and when the insertion position of the connector 20 reaches a predetermined connection position, the protrusion 64 provided in the recess 62 of the receptacle 17 is exposed as shown in FIGS. It will be in the state which can be visually recognized from the opening side of the recessed part 62. FIG. Thereafter, the insertion state of the connector 20 is adjusted until all of the four protrusions 64 provided near the four corners of the recess 62 are visible.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the connector 20 can be inserted up to a predetermined connection position based on whether or not the protrusion 64 can be visually recognized, so the insertion state of the connector 20 is visually confirmed. can do. Therefore, even if the click feeling is not obtained, it can be easily confirmed whether or not the connector 20 is properly inserted, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor conduction.

  Further, since the receptacle 17 and the connector 20 are colored in different colors, the protrusion 64 is conspicuous when the protrusion 64 is exposed, and the protrusion 64 can be easily visually recognized. Furthermore, since the protrusion 64 is formed of an elastic body, the protrusion 64 is elastically deformed when the connector 20 is inserted. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the surface of the connector 20 from being damaged or the protrusion 64 from being damaged.

  Further, since the protrusions 64 are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the recess 62, it can be confirmed whether or not the connector 20 can be inserted straight, and can be surely inserted into the correct position. It is not always necessary to provide the four protrusions 64, and the two protrusions 64 may be provided diagonally.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the protrusion 64 is provided on the inner side surface 62b on the longitudinal side of the recess 62 of the receptacle 17, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is provided on the inner side surface 62 c on the short side of the recess 62 of the receptacle 17. The protrusions 71 are provided on the inner side surfaces 62c of the recesses 62 so as to face each other. Further, the distance L in the height direction of the protrusion 71 is set to a distance separated from the bottom surface 62a of the recess 62 by a distance L2 or more. Here, the distance L2 is the length in the insertion direction of the side surface 20b of the connector 20 facing the inner side surface 62c of the recess 62, as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, the protrusion 71 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section, but may have another shape such as a hemisphere. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the length of the retainer 56 may be shortened to form a space 72 corresponding to the protrusion 71 on the side surface 20 b of the connector 20. In this case, the length L1 on the long side is the length in the insertion direction of the main body of the connector 20, and the length L2 on the short side is the length in the insertion direction of the side surface 20b of the connector 20.

  Also in the above configuration, when the insertion position of the connector 20 reaches a predetermined connection position, the protrusion 71 is visible from the opening side of the recess 62 as shown in FIG. For this reason, it can be visually confirmed whether or not the connector 20 can be inserted up to a predetermined connection position, and it is possible to obtain the same effects as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.

  For example, although the plurality of protrusions 64 and 71 are provided in the above embodiment, the number of protrusions may be one. In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 64 and 71 are provided only on either the long side inner surface 62b or the short side inner surface 62c of the recess 62. However, the long side and the short side are provided. It may be provided on both inner surfaces.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the entire receptacle 17 is formed of an elastic body. However, for example, when only a portion of the recess 62 is formed of an elastic body, a part of the receptacle 17 is an elastic body. In addition, the present invention can be applied.

It is sectional drawing which shows the motor operated valve using the connector apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the connector apparatus of FIG. 1, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing of a receptacle, (b) is sectional drawing of a connector, (c) is a side view of a connector. FIG. 3 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the connector device of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an I arrow view of the connector device of FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the connector apparatus concerning this invention, Comprising: (a) is sectional drawing of a receptacle, (b) is sectional drawing of a connector, (c) is assembly sectional drawing. It is II arrow directional view of the connector apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a connector.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Motor operated valve 10 Drive part 11 Stepping motor 12 Output gear 13 Deceleration mechanism 14 Motor case 15 Cover part 15a Circular hole 16 Receptacle accommodating part 17 Receptacle 19 Lead wire 20 Connector 20a Connector side face 21 Output rotating shaft 21a Male thread part 22 Bearing part 23 Holder 23a Female thread portion 24 Nut 25 Guide protrusion 30 Valve body portion 31 Valve body 32 Valve chamber 32a Valve chamber lower portion 32b Valve seat 33 Valve rod 34 Valve portion 35 Valve body 36 Bellows 41 First flow path 42 Second flow path 51 Socket contact 52 Connection terminal 53 Through hole 55 Notch portion 56 Retainer 61 Pin contact 61a Pin contact rear portion 61b Pin contact front portion 62 Recess 62a Recess bottom surface 62b Recess inner surface 62c Recess inner surface 63 Through hole 64 Protrusion 65 Guide groove 71 Projection 72 Space

Claims (7)

A connector and a receptacle connector having a recess made of an elastic body capable of accommodating the connector;
The recess has at least one protrusion on its inner surface,
The protrusion is provided at a position that is visible from the opening side of the recess when the connector is inserted to a predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle connector.   The protrusion is provided at a location separated from the bottom surface of the recess by a distance equal to or longer than the length in the insertion direction of the side surface of the connector facing the inner surface of the recess where the protrusion is provided. The connector device according to claim 1.   The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is colored in a color different from that of the connector.   The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed of an elastic body.   The connector device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and two of the plurality of protrusions are diagonally arranged.   6. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and two of the plurality of protrusions are arranged to face each other. An electric valve including a drive unit that opens and closes the valve via a motor,
The drive unit includes a receptacle connector to which a connector for supplying power to the motor is connected,
The receptacle connector has a recess made of an elastic body capable of accommodating the connector;
The recess has at least one protrusion on its inner surface,
The motor-operated valve according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided at a position that is visible from the opening side of the recess when the connector is inserted to a predetermined connection position with respect to the receptacle connector.

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