JP7059833B2 - Screw-up terminal block and screw-up contact unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a screw-up type terminal block and a screw-up type contact unit.

In the screw-up type terminal block, the square washer is lifted by the return spring with the terminal screw detached from the female screw portion of the fixed contact, so that the wire terminal can be easily inserted and the screw fastening work can be performed. The square washer is a square and has one or more sides in contact with the wall of the insulating frame to prevent rotation.

In the screw-up terminal block, it is necessary to properly arrange the return spring to float the square washer. In Patent Document 1, a protrusion is provided on the square washer, and the tip of the protrusion compresses the return spring. This protrusion protrudes from the square washer toward the head of the screw, and the tip bent into an L shape comes into contact with the end of the return spring.

Some screw-up terminal blocks can be connected to electric wires from two directions, vertically and horizontally, so that the degree of freedom in wiring can be increased. In a screw-up type terminal block that can connect electric wires from two directions, it is necessary to lift the square washer from the fixed contact by two or more terminals of the electric wire, and the operating stroke of the square washer becomes longer accordingly.

A screw-up type terminal block may be configured as a screw-up type contact unit by grouping a plurality of units together. It is desirable that the screw-up type terminal block and the screw-up type contact unit have as compact a configuration as possible.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-34735

In the screw-up type contact unit, for example, a method of arranging the return spring as shown in FIG. 6 can be considered.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the screw-up type contact unit 500 is configured by arranging two screw-up type terminal blocks 502 in parallel. In the screw-up terminal block 502, the terminal screw 504 and the spring washer 506 are combined with the square washer 508. A protrusion 510 projects downward from the square washer 508. The protrusion 510 has a small protrusion 510a that projects laterally, and the lower surface of the small protrusion 510a compresses the return spring 512. In this case, the length of the small protrusions 510a must be secured separately from the plate thickness of the protrusions 510, and the width becomes long. Therefore, when the pitch dimension C between the two screw-up type terminal blocks 502 is fixed, the gap G1 is narrowed and the insulating wall cannot be provided. When the side surface of the protrusion 510 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 514, it becomes stable, but N. When used as a C contact, insulation cannot be achieved. Further, the return spring 512 is arranged considerably below the head of the terminal screw 504, and the axial dimension of the screw-up type terminal block 502 becomes longer by that amount.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the screw-up type contact unit 520 is configured by arranging two screw-up type terminal blocks 522 in parallel. A protrusion 524 projects downward from the square washer 508. The protrusion 524 fits into the center of the return spring 526. The return spring 526 is compressed by the upper end bend of the protrusion 524. In this case, since the protrusion 524 is inserted into the return spring 526, the diameter of the return spring 526 becomes large. Therefore, when the pitch dimension C between the two screw-up type terminal blocks 522 is fixed, the gap G2 is narrowed and the insulating wall cannot be provided. Further, the return spring 526 is arranged below the head of the terminal screw 504, and the axial dimension of the screw-up type terminal block 522 becomes longer by that amount.

When the screw-up type terminal blocks 502 and 522 are configured so that electric wires can be connected from two directions in the vertical and horizontal directions, it is necessary to lengthen the stroke of the square washer 508, and the protrusions 510 and 524 also become longer accordingly. Since the protrusions 510 and 524 extend downward from the square washer 508, a portion that wraps with the fixed contact 514 is formed, and the insulating property is not good.

In the terminal block described in Patent Document 1, the protrusion that receives the return spring protrudes considerably above the washer, and the dimension becomes longer by that amount.

As shown in FIG. 7, the screw-up terminal block 530 may be covered with a cover 532. When the screw-up type terminal block 530 and the cover 532 are assembled, if the square washer 508 is tilted, the cover 532 interferes and cannot be fitted, and the tilt must be corrected, which makes assembly by an automatic machine difficult. Further, if the terminal screw 504 is tightened even after assembly, the square washer 508 also rotates due to the torque. When the square washer 508 rotates, an unnecessary force is applied to the electric wire terminal sandwiched between the square washer 508 and the electric wire is tilted.

Further, in a screw-up type terminal block to which electric wires can be connected from two vertical and horizontal directions (for example, upward and left directions), the square washer is supported only on two surfaces (for example, downward and right directions) and is unstable. Further, in the screw-up type terminal block, it is difficult to grip the square washer with a gripping machine, which is a problem in the assembly process.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the square washer does not interfere with the assembly of the cover, does not rotate even when the terminal screw is tightened, and the square washer is gripped. It is an object of the present invention to provide a screw-up type terminal block and a screw-up type contact unit that are easy to grip.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the screw-up type terminal block according to the present invention is provided with an insulating frame and a head in the first direction along the axial direction, and a male screw portion in the opposite second direction. A terminal screw, a female screw portion into which the male screw portion is screwed, a square washer externally fitted to the neck portion of the terminal screw, a guide protrusion protruding from one side of the square washer, and the insulating frame are provided. It has a guide groove extending along the axial direction, and the guide protrusion projects laterally from the one side while extending in the first direction, and is fitted and guided by the guide groove. It is characterized by that.

The amount of protrusion of the guide protrusion from the square washer in the first direction may be equal to or less than the height of the head.

The one side is the first side, and the receiving protrusion protruding from the second side adjacent to the first side, the spring groove provided in the insulating frame and extending along the axial direction, and the spring groove. It has a return spring to be arranged, the receiving protrusion extends in the first direction, and the tip thereof has a bent portion along the second side. The square washer may be lifted in the first direction through the bent portion by an elastic force when the terminal screw is compressed by the bent portion and is pulled out from the female screw portion.

The amount of protrusion of the receiving protrusion from the square washer in the first direction may be equal to or less than the height of the head.

The insulating frame may have a guide wall provided along the axial direction and abutting on the first side and the second side.

The insulating frame may have two wire insertion portions for inserting wires from the directions of the third side and the fourth side of the square washer.

Further, the screw-up type contact unit according to the present invention is a screw-up type contact unit provided with a pair of screw-up type terminal blocks, and the second sides of both of the screw-up type terminal blocks are oriented so as to face each other. It is characterized by being arranged in parallel.

In the screw-up type terminal block and the screw-up type contact unit according to the present invention, the guide protrusion protrudes from one side of the square washer. The guide protrusion extends in the direction of the head and protrudes laterally from the one side, and is guided by being fitted into a guide groove provided in the insulating frame. As a result, the inclination of the square washer is suppressed, the square washer does not interfere with the assembly of the cover, and the square washer does not rotate even when the terminal screw is tightened. Further, since the guide protrusion protrudes in the direction of the head, it is easy to grip by the gripping machine.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screw-up type terminal block and a screw-up type contact unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the screw-up type terminal block and the screw-up type contact unit according to the embodiment. 3A and 3B are views showing a movable portion, FIG. 3A is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view in a state where a terminal screw and a spring washer are omitted. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the screw-up type contact unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pair of movable parts and their periphery in the screw-up type contact unit according to the embodiment. 6A and 6B are views showing a pair of movable parts and their surroundings in a screw-up type contact unit as a comparative example, in which FIG. 6A is the first example thereof and FIG. 6B is the second example thereof. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the screw-up type contact unit with the cover attached.

Hereinafter, the screw-up type terminal block 10 and the screw-up type contact unit 12, which are embodiments of the screw-up type terminal block and the screw-up type contact unit according to the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the screw-up type contact unit 12 is configured by arranging two screw-up type terminal blocks 10 in parallel. The two screw-up type terminal blocks 10 can be fixed by inserting the electric wires 14 from two directions in the vertical and horizontal directions. As the electric wire 14, for example, a round terminal type can be applied. As shown by the virtual line, a plurality of screw-up contact units 12 can be connected in series in the front-rear direction (X'direction). The two screw-up terminal blocks 10 have a symmetrical structure, and the insulating frame 16 and the cover 18 are common. The cover 18 covers the bottom surface side of the insulating frame 16 and has a finger protection structure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the screw-up type terminal block 10 is configured by combining a washer body 20, a terminal screw 22, a spring washer 24, a return spring 26, and a fixed contact 28 based on an insulating frame 16. The washer body 20, the terminal screw 22, the spring washer 24, and the return spring 26 are collectively referred to as a movable portion 30.

Hereinafter, of the two screw-up type terminal blocks 10, the one on the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be mainly described as an example. Further, the direction along the axis of the terminal screw 22 is the X direction, the traveling direction of the terminal screw 22 by screwing is the X2 direction (second direction), and the opposite is the X1 direction (first direction). Further, the direction in which the two screw-up terminal blocks 10 are arranged in parallel is the Y direction. The direction in which a plurality of screw-up contact units 12 are connected in series (see FIG. 1) is the X'direction. The angle difference between the X direction and the X'direction is, for example, 20 °, which enables the driver to operate the terminal screw 22 even if a plurality of screw-up type contact units 12 are connected. The bottom surfaces of the insulating frame 16 and the cover 18 form an X'-Y plane.

The fixed contact 28 is fixed to the insulating frame 16 and has a female screw portion 28a formed in the center thereof. The surface of the fixed contact 28 is pleated, and the terminal of the electric wire 14 is not slippery. The fixed contact 28 is made of metal, and a part thereof extends to the back of the insulating frame 16 to form an internal contact 28b (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3, the washer body 20 is based on a square square washer 20a, and is a component that sandwiches the terminal of the electric wire 14 between the square washer 20a and the fixed contact 28. The square washer 20a includes a central screw hole 20b and a plurality of small bulges 20c in the X2 direction. The terminal screw 22 includes a head 22a, a neck portion 22b, and a male screw portion 22c. The neck portion 22b is inserted into the screw hole 20b of the square washer 20a. That is, a square washer 20a is externally fitted to the neck portion 22b. The male screw portion 22c can be screwed into the female screw portion 28a of the fixed contact 28.

The terminal screw 22 is configured so as not to fall off from the square washer 20a. A spring washer 24 is provided between the square washer 20a and the head 22a. The bulging portion 20c strongly sandwiches the terminal of the electric wire 14 with the fixed contact 28.

The washer body 20 further has a guide protrusion 32 and a receiving protrusion 34 protruding from the square washer 20a. The guide protrusion 32 projects laterally (lower side in FIG. 3B) while extending in the X1 direction from the end of the first side 20aa of the square washer 20a. That is, the guide protrusion 32 protrudes in the X'direction, which is slightly open from the X1 direction. This X'direction is equal to the direction in which the cover 18 is attached / detached to / from the insulating frame 16 (see FIG. 2). Since the guide protrusion 32 extends in the X'direction, it protrudes slightly downward from the first side 20aa toward the tip, and this portion fits into the guide groove 40 (see FIG. 4) described later. do. For example, the guide protrusion 32 may extend downward once and then bend by 90 ° to extend in the X1 direction. The first side 20aa is a side along the Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the amount of protrusion of the guide protrusion 32 from the square washer 20a to the X2 direction when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the X direction is slightly smaller than the height of the head 22a. More specifically, when the spring washer 24 is pressed by the head 22a to become flat, the amount of protrusion of the guide protrusion 32 and the height of the head 22a become substantially equal. The amount of protrusion of the receiving protrusion 34 is also the same as that of the guide protrusion 32.

The receiving protrusion 34 protrudes from the second side 20ab adjacent to the side of the first side 20aa close to the guide protrusion 32. One side of the receiving protrusion 34 is connected to the second side 20ab without a step. The receiving protrusion 34 slightly protrudes in the Y direction from the center of the second side 20ab, bends in an L shape and extends in the X1 direction, and the tip further bends upward slightly in the direction along the second side 20ab and bends. It forms 34a. One end of the return spring 26 comes into contact with the bent portion 34a. There are no protrusions on the third side 20ac and the fourth side 20ad of the square washer 20a.

The return spring 26 is compressed by the bent portion 34a when the terminal screw 22 is screwed into the female screw portion 28a, and is a square washer via the bent portion 34a due to elastic force when the terminal screw 22 comes out of the female screw portion 28a. Lift 20a in the X1 direction.

Returning to FIG. 2, the screw-up terminal block 10 has a lower guide wall 36, an inner guide wall 38, a guide groove 40, a spring groove 42, and an upper guide wall 44, which are the insulating frame 16. Is formed in. A fixed contact 28 is provided at the X2 direction end of the space 46 surrounded by the lower guide wall 36, the inner guide wall 38, and the upper guide wall 44. In this space 46, the opposite side of the inner guide wall 38 (left side in FIG. 2) is open. The upper guide wall 44 does not cover the upper part of the fixed contact 28, and a gap (electric wire insertion portion) is formed, and the electric wire 14 (see FIG. 1) can be inserted through this gap. A movable portion 30 is arranged in the space 46.

The lower guide wall 36 is provided along the X direction and abuts on and supports the first side 20aa of the square washer 20a. An upper guide wall 44 parallel to the lower guide wall 36 is provided above the lower guide wall 36. The inner guide wall 38 is provided near the center of the insulating frame 16 and abuts on and supports the second side 20ab of the square washer 20a. The inner guide wall 38 is composed of an upper wall 38a and a lower wall 38b. The upper wall 38a supports the upper side of the receiving protrusion 34 on the second side 20ab, and the lower wall 38b supports the lower side of the receiving protrusion 34 on the second side 20ab. The upper wall 38a is formed substantially along the X direction, and the lower wall 38b is formed substantially along the X'direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide groove 40 is a groove recessed toward the bottom of FIG. 4, and is provided between the lower guide wall 36 and the lower wall 38b along the X direction and opens in the X1 direction. There is. The bottom surface 40a of the guide groove 40 is a surface along the X'direction, and the opening in the X1 direction is appropriately widened. The guide protrusion 32 is fitted into the guide groove 40 with almost no gap, and the washer body 20 is guided in the X direction by the guide groove 40.

The spring groove 42 is a semicircular groove in which the return spring 26 is arranged, is provided along the X direction, and is open in the X1 direction. The spring groove 42 is a U-shaped groove that opens downward more than half on the X1 direction side, and the end portion in the X2 direction is a bottomed hole 42a that covers the entire circumference of the return spring 26. The end of the return spring 26 in the X2 direction is supported by the bottom surface 42b of the bottomed hole 42a, and the end in the X1 direction is supported by the bent portion 34a. The X2 direction end of the return spring 26 is stably held by the bottomed hole 42a, and the X1 direction end is stably held by the spring groove 42 and the receiving protrusion 34. The spring groove 42 is provided above the height of the axis of the terminal screw 22, and is located slightly away from the guide groove 40 provided below, so that there is a degree of freedom in layout.

Returning to FIG. 2, the cover 18 has a bottom plate 48, a pair of side plates 50, and a pair of driver holes 52. The bottom plate 48 is a plate that covers the bottom surface of the insulating frame 16, and is formed with a driver hole 52. The head 22a of the terminal screw 22 is exposed from the driver hole 52. A driver can be inserted from the driver hole 52, and the driver can be operated with the terminal screw 22. The driver hole 52 is formed smaller than the square washer 20a, and the movable portion 30 does not come out to the outside. A pair of driver holes 52 are provided in accordance with the two movable portions 30. The side plate 50 is a plate that covers both sides of the insulating frame 16 in the Y direction, and is arranged with almost no gap on the side surface of the insulating frame 16, the side side of the fixed contact 28, and the side side of the square washer 20a. The side plate 50 is provided with a hole (electric wire insertion portion) 50a for inserting the electric wire 14 from the side. The cover 18 is fixed in a snap-fit manner by pushing the cover 18 closer to the insulating frame 16 along the X'direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the screw-up type contact unit 12, a pair of screw-up type terminal blocks 10 are provided symmetrically, and the second sides 20ab of both screw-up type terminal blocks 10 face each other. They are arranged in parallel. Therefore, the receiving projection 34 also faces inward, and the electric wire 14 can be inserted from the outward third side 20ac.

Since the receiving protrusion 34 of the screw-up type terminal block 10 does not have the small protrusion 510a protruding inward as in the example shown in FIG. 6A, the dimension in the Y direction can be shortened by that amount. Further, in the screw-up type terminal block 10, the end portion of the return spring 26 is supported by the bent portion 34a, and does not enter the return spring 526 as in the example shown in FIG. 6 (b). Therefore, the diameter of the return spring 26 can be reduced by that amount, and the Y dimension of the screw-up terminal block 10 can also be shortened.

Since the Y dimension of the screw-up type terminal block 10 is shortened in this way, even when the pitch dimension C of the pair of left and right screw-up type terminal blocks 10 is fixed, the gap G can be made relatively large. The insulating wall 54 can be provided in the range of G, and the insulating property is maintained.

In the screw-up type terminal block 10, since the receiving projection 34 extends in the X1 direction, it is separated from the fixed contact 28 provided in the X2 direction, and the insulating property is further enhanced. Insulation is further enhanced by forming the return spring 26 with an insulating material or providing an insulating coating.

Next, a procedure for assembling the screw-up type terminal block 10 and a screw-up type contact unit 12 configured as described above and a procedure for using the screw-up type terminal block 10 will be described.

First, when assembling the screw-up type terminal block 10 and the screw-up type contact unit 12, the fixed contact 28 is fixed to the insulating frame 16, and the return spring 26 is further inserted into the spring groove 42.

Further, as shown by the virtual line in FIG. 4, the guide protrusion 32 is inserted into the guide groove 40 while gripping the guide protrusion 32 by the gripping machine 53. As a result, the washer body 20 and the terminal screw 22 are arranged in the correct positions. Since the guide protrusion 32 projects toward the front side, it can be gripped by the gripping machine 53. Since the guide protrusion 32 is moderately long, it is stably inserted into the guide groove 40 and guided. Since the guide protrusion 32 extends in the X'direction, which is slightly open from the X direction, it protrudes slightly laterally from the first side 20aa, and a slight gap is provided between the guide protrusion 32 and the head 22a. The upper surface of the guide protrusion 32 is easily gripped by the gripping machine 53. Since the opening of the guide groove 40 is moderately wide and a gap is provided between the bottom surface 40a and the guide protrusion 32, the lower surface of the guide protrusion 32 can be easily gripped by the gripping machine 53.

When the terminal screw 22 is screwed into the female screw 28a, the square washer 20a is supported only on two sides of the first side 20aa and the second side 20ab by the lower guide wall 36 and the inner guide wall 38, but further guide protrusions. By fitting the 32 into the guide groove 40, positioning and detenting are performed more accurately and reliably.

Further, since the receiving projection 34 protrudes in the X1 direction and the bent portion 34a is also arranged closer to the X1 direction, the return spring 26 can be made into an appropriately long dimension, and the stroke of the movable portion 30 can be lengthened. Can be secured. Since the protrusion amount of the guide protrusion 32 and the receiving protrusion 34 is slightly lower than the height of the head 22a, the bottom plate 48 (see FIG. 2) is arranged at a position close to the top of the head 22a, and the depth dimension is long. It doesn't become. Since the guide protrusion 32 and the receiving protrusion 34 suppress the inclination of the square washer 20a, the load of the return spring 26 can be accurately transmitted in the X1 direction at the time of screwing up.

Since the return spring 26 supports the bent portion 34a, the square washer 20a is in a raised state in the X1 direction, and a certain gap is formed between the male screw portion 22c of the terminal screw 22 and the fixed contact 28. The terminal of the electric wire 14 may be arranged.

After that, the cover 18 is attached to the insulating frame 16. The side plate 50 of the cover 18 has almost no gap with respect to the side side of the square washer 20a of the washer body 20, that is, the third side 20ac, but the square washer 20a is arranged at the correct position and interferes with the side plate 50. There is no. That is, since the guide protrusion 32 is inserted into the guide groove 40, the corner portion of the square washer 20a does not protrude laterally and does not hit the side plate 50. As a result, there is no need to visually adjust the angle of the square washer 20a and manually adjust the angle, which simplifies the assembly process and facilitates assembly by, for example, an automatic machine.

Next, when the electric wire 14 is attached to the screw-up type terminal block 10 and the screw-up type contact unit 12, the terminal of the electric wire 14 is placed between the fixed contact 28 and the square washer 20a from above and / or from the side. Insert in.

Then, a driver (not shown) is inserted through the driver hole 52, and the tip thereof is pushed into the groove of the top surface of the head 22a. In the washer body 20, the bent portion 34a of the receiving projection 34 is pushed in the X2 direction while compressing the return spring 26, and the male screw portion 22c abuts on the opening of the female screw portion 28a. At this time, since the guide protrusion 32 is guided by the guide groove 40, the washer body 20 is maintained in the correct direction and rotation deviation is prevented.

By rotating the driver, the male screw portion 22c is screwed into the female screw portion 28a and further advances in the X2 direction. The terminal of the electric wire 14 is sandwiched between the square washer 20a and the fixed contact 28 and fixed with a strong pressure. At this time, a large torque is applied to the square washer 20a from the driver via the head 22a and the spring washer 24, but since the guide protrusion 32 is fitted in the guide groove 40, the rotation deviation of the square washer 20a The direction of the electric wire 14 sandwiched between the fixed contact 28 and the fixed contact 28 does not change.

As described above, in the screw-up type terminal block 10 according to the present embodiment, the rotation of the square washer 20a is prevented by the action of the guide protrusion 32, the cover 18 does not interfere with the mounting, and the screw-up type terminal block 10 is rotated around even when the cover 18 is screwed. There is nothing to do. Since the guide protrusion 32 can be gripped by the gripping machine 53, it is suitable for automatic assembly. The receiving projection 34 extends in the X1 direction and is separated from the fixed contact 28 and has excellent insulating properties.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be freely changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 Screw-up type terminal block 12 Screw-up type contact unit 14 Wire 16 Insulation frame 18 Cover 20 Washer body 20a Square washer 20aa 1st side 20ab 2nd side 20ac 3rd side 20ad 4th side 22 Terminal screw 22a Head 22b Neck 22c Male Threaded part 26 Return spring 28 Fixed contact 28a Female threaded part 32 Guide protrusion 34 Receiving protrusion 34a Bending part 40 Guide groove 42 Spring groove

Claims (6)

Insulated frame and
A terminal screw with a head in the first direction along the axial direction and a male thread in the opposite second direction.
The female screw portion to which the male screw portion is screwed and the female screw portion
A square washer fitted to the neck of the terminal screw,
A guide protrusion protruding from one side of the corner washer,
A guide groove provided in the insulating frame and extending along the axial direction,
The one side is the first side, and the receiving protrusion protruding from the second side adjacent to the first side,
A spring groove provided in the insulating frame and extending along the axial direction,
A return spring arranged in the spring groove and
Have,
The guide protrusion extends laterally from the one side while extending in the first direction, and is fitted into the guide groove to be guided .
The receiving protrusion extends in the first direction and has a bent portion along the second side at the tip thereof.
The return spring is compressed by the bent portion when the terminal screw is screwed into the female screw portion, and when the terminal screw comes out of the female screw portion, the corner is passed through the bent portion by an elastic force. A screw-up type terminal block characterized by lifting the washer in the first direction . In the screw-up type terminal block according to claim 1,
A screw-up type terminal block characterized in that the amount of protrusion of the guide protrusion from the square washer in the first direction is equal to or less than the height of the head. In the screw-up type terminal block according to claim 1 or 2 .
A screw-up type terminal block characterized in that the amount of protrusion of the receiving protrusion from the square washer in the first direction is equal to or less than the height of the head. In the screw-up type terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .
The insulating frame is a screw-up type terminal block provided along the axial direction and having a guide wall that abuts on the first side and the second side. In the screw-up type terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .
The insulating frame is characterized by having two electric wire insertion portions for inserting electric wires from the directions of a third side facing the second side of the square washer and a fourth side facing the first side. Up type terminal block. In the screw-up type contact unit provided with a pair of screw-up type terminal blocks according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .
A screw-up type contact unit characterized in that the second sides of both screw-up type terminal blocks are arranged in parallel so as to face each other.

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