JP7184440B2 - Coupling structure of plate-like member, electronic device, and method for attaching/detaching connector - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connecting structure of plate-like members, an electronic device, and a connector attaching/detaching method.

2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic device having a plate-like circuit board, a stacking connector is sometimes used to electrically connect the circuit boards arranged parallel to each other while being stacked in the thickness direction. In this stacking connector, as the number of connection terminals increases, the number of fitting points also increases, so the upper and lower circuit boards are sometimes coupled with a strong fitting force.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-300000 discloses a technique for electrically and mechanically connecting a plurality of printed wiring boards with a connector.
In Patent Document 1, a flexible wiring board is interposed between a printed wiring board and a connector to absorb dimensional errors and thermal strain between the printed wiring boards, thereby facilitating the fitting of the printed wiring boards. Considering the operability of removing the flexible wiring board, a structure is adopted in which a reinforcing plate is adhered to a part of the flexible wiring board.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100000, an opening is provided for accessing a connection point for attaching and detaching printed wiring boards connected to each other via a connector.
Further, in Patent Document 3, a reinforcing plate is provided on each of a plurality of printed wiring boards, a support provided on one of the reinforcing boards is protruded from a hole in the other reinforcing board, and the support is pushed out from the hole. It adopts a configuration in which the connector is separated.

JP-A-6-89763 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-101589 JP-A-6-302979

However, the technique of Patent Document 1 requires a flexible printed wiring board in addition to the originally required printed wiring board, and no particular consideration is given to reducing the force required to separate the connectors. .
In addition, the technique of Patent Document 2 simply enables access to the coupling portion from the outside, and does not take into account easy separation of the connector.
In addition, since the technique of Patent Document 3 requires a reinforcing plate protruding from the contour of the printed wiring board, this reinforcing plate occupies valuable space in the housing of the electronic device in which the printed wiring board is arranged. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to facilitate separation of detachably connected plate members.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the connecting structure of plate-like members shown in the first aspect of the present invention includes a first plate-like member and a second plate-like member arranged to face each other, and these plates A first connector and a second connector provided on surfaces facing each other of the plate-like member and configured to be mated and detachable with each other, and a first support integrally connected to the first plate-like member. a second support provided on the second plate-shaped member so as to protrude from a surface opposite to the facing surface; and between the first support and the second support. and an operating member for exerting forces in opposite directions.

A connector attachment/detachment method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a first plate-like member and a second plate-like member whose inner surfaces are arranged to face each other. and a step of connecting the vicinity of one end of a rod-shaped operating member to a first support portion connected to a portion of the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member. a step of contacting the second support portion provided on the outer surface side of the second plate-shaped member with a position closer to the other end than the one end of the operating member; and a step of contacting the operating member and applying a force in a direction of detaching the connector to a position closer to the other end than the point of contact with the second support portion.

According to the present invention, plate-like members connected by a connector can be easily separated.

1 is a side view of a minimal configuration example of a connecting structure for plate members according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a connecting structure for plate members according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one embodiment; FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modification of one Embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 1, an example of the minimum configuration of the connecting structure of the plate members of the present invention will be described. Reference numeral 1 denotes a first plate-like member, and this first plate-like member 1 and a second plate-like member 2 having the same configuration are arranged to face each other. The mutually facing surfaces of the first and second plate-shaped members 1 and 2 are provided with a first connector 3 and a second connector 4 configured to be capable of being fitted and separated from each other.

The first plate-like member 1 includes a first support portion 5 protruding from a surface opposite to the facing surface of the second plate-like member 2 (upper surface in FIG. 1). . The second plate member 2 has a second support portion 6 .
Between the first support portion 5 and the second support portion 6, there is provided an operation member 7 for exerting force in opposite directions.

In the coupling structure configured as described above, the tip of the operation member 7 is brought into contact with the first support portion 5, the intermediate portion of the operation member 7 is brought into contact with the second support portion 6, and The connector 3 of the first plate-like member 1 and the connector 4 of the second plate-like member 2 are separated from each other by applying force to the proximal end of the operation member 7 upward in FIG. can be moved in any direction.

Also, in the method of attaching and detaching a connector according to the minimum configuration example of the present invention, as shown in FIG. a first connector 3 and a second connector 4 provided on the facing surfaces of the first plate-like member 1; a step of bringing the vicinity of one end of the operation member 7 into contact with the outer surface side of the second plate member 2 (upper side in FIG. 1); a step of contacting a position closer to the other end than the one end of the operating member 7 with the second support portion 6; and applying a force in a direction to detach the first and second connectors 3 and 4 .

In the attachment/detachment method configured as described above, the first and second connectors 3 and 4 are connected by overlapping the first plate-like member 1 and the second plate-like member 2. In addition, the front end of the operation member 7 is brought into contact with the first support portion 5 and the intermediate portion of the operation member 7 is brought into contact with the second support portion 6, and the user can operate the operation member with fingers or the like. 1, the connector 3 of the first plate-like member 1 and the connector 4 of the second plate-like member 2 can be moved in a direction separating them from each other.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
Reference numeral 10 denotes a housing formed of a metal plate in the shape of a box as a whole. The housing 10 is slightly smaller than the first plate-like member 1A and the second plate-like member 2A, which are printed wiring boards configured by mounting electronic components on conductor circuit patterns, for example, in plan view. It has a large planar shape, and as a whole is formed into a box-like shape having a depth capable of accommodating the first and second plate-like members 1A and 2A in parallel with each other with a predetermined mutual interval. ing.

Circuits such as printed patterns formed on the first and second plate-like members 1A and 2A are connected to the facing surfaces (inner surfaces) of the first and second plate-like members 1A and 2A. First and second connectors 3A and 4A are attached, respectively. These first and second connectors 3A and 4A have, for example, a plurality of terminal electrodes, and by connecting them to each other, electrically connect corresponding terminal electrodes to each other. (viewed from the direction orthogonal to the surfaces of the first and second plate-like members 1A and 2A), they are arranged at positions overlapping each other.

At a position corresponding to the second connector 4A on the outer surface (upper surface in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the second plate-like member 2A, a support fitting 11 is provided which is bent to form a shape protruding upward. there is In the illustrated example, the support fitting 11 has a planar shape that substantially matches the shape of the second connector 4A, and is bent into a shape in which flat mounting portions 11b are arranged on both sides of a central convex portion 11a when viewed from the side. It is composed of a metal plate. A second support portion 6A is provided inside the convex portion 11a so as to protrude downward.
A portion of the side plate portion 12 forming a part of the housing 10, more specifically, a portion that coincides with the support metal fitting 11 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. support portion 5A. In the illustrated example, the second plate member 2A is accommodated in the housing 10 at a position slightly below the upper end of the side plate portion 12 of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, two side plate portions 12 of the housing 10 are shown in FIG. It is shaped like a box.

A rod-shaped operation member 7 is arranged between the first support portion 5A and the second support portion 6A. The operation member 7 has a handle portion 7a having a thickness that is easy for an operator to grip, and a body portion 7b extending from the tip of the handle portion 7a and made of metal or the like. For the operation member 7, it is sufficient to use a tool such as a generally used screwdriver, and needless to say, it does not need to have a special shape and structure as shown. Further, the support fitting 11 is formed with a hole 11c through which the main body portion 7b is inserted. The tip of the body portion 7b contacts the first support portion 5A from above, and the second support portion 6A is positioned away from the tip contacting the first support portion 5A toward the base end. is configured to contact from below.

The operation of the connection structure of the plate-like members having the above configuration and the method of attaching and detaching the connector will be described.
The first plate member 1A is fixed at a predetermined height inside the housing 10 with the first connector 3A facing upward. For this fixation, for example, a configuration is adopted in which the first plate member 1A is screwed to a mounting plate (not shown) protruding from the inner surface of the housing 10. As shown in FIG.
While disposing the second plate member 2A inside the housing 10 with the second connector 4A facing downward, the second connector 4A is moved downward within the housing 10 to 1 connector. This operation completes the connection between the first plate member 1A and the second plate member 2A.
Holding the handle portion 7a of the operation member 7 and inserting the main body portion 7b into the hole 11c of the support metal fitting 11, the operation member 7 is arranged on the side plate portion 12, and preparations are made to extract the second connector 4A from the first connector 3A. is completed.

The front end of the main body portion 7b is placed on the side plate portion 12 (in other words, it is placed on the first support portion 5A), and the position near the base end of the main body portion 7b is placed on the inner side of the support metal fitting 11 at the second position. in a state in which upward movement of the housing 10 (more specifically, the first plate-like member 1A) is regulated, and the handle portion 7a is moved as indicated by an arrow a in FIG. When lifted upward, the first support portion 5A is the fulcrum (indicated by the chain line V in FIG. 3), the grip portion 7a is the power point, and the second support portion 6A is the action point (indicated by the chain line VI in FIG. 3). ) generates a force in the direction of pulling out the second connector 4A from the first connector 3A by the action of the "principle of leverage" to separate the second plate-like member 2A from the first plate-like member 1A. be able to.

When lifting the grip portion 7a, the case 10 must have a weight sufficiently greater than the force required to pull out the first and second connectors 3A and 4A, or a server rack or the like having a sufficiently large weight must be used. When it is attached, there is no particular need to hold the housing 10 with the operator's fingers or the like.
Separating the first and second connectors 3A, 4A completes the operation of disconnecting the connectors.
The shape of the housing 10 and the first and second connectors 3A, 3A and 3A of the first and second plate-like members 1A and 2A are designed so that the first support portion 5A and the second support portion 6A are as close as possible. By setting the position of 4A, the operating force required for removing the first and second connectors 3A, 4A can be reduced.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the support fitting 11. As shown in FIG.
The upper opening of the housing 10 may be covered with a lid 13 having the same planar shape as the housing 10 .
Further, the height of the support fitting 11 (protruding height of the convex portion 11a) is appropriately set according to the mounting height of the second plate member 2A and the height of the side plate portion 12 of the housing 10, and the lid The lid 13 and the second plate-like member 2A are integrally formed by setting the dimensions so as to be in contact with the inner surface of the body 13, and by screwing the sheet metal members constituting the lid 13 to the support fitting 11 with bolts 14. Also good. That is, the first plate-like member 1A supported by the housing 10 and the second plate-like member 2A supported by the cover 13 via the support bracket 11 are connected to the first connector 3A and the second connector. You may employ|adopt the structure connected so that attachment or detachment is possible via 4A.

The first plate-shaped member 1A is attached to the housing 10 by, for example, welding to the inner surface of the housing 10, or, as shown in FIG. A fixing structure, such as mounting by bolts 16 and mounting the first plate-like member 1A to the support member 15 by bolts 17, is applied.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are included within the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a connecting structure of plate-shaped members, an electronic device having this connecting structure, and a connector attaching/detaching method.

1, 1A First plate member 2, 2A Second plate member 3, 3A First connector 4, 4A Second connector 5, 5A First support 6, 6A Second support 7 Operation Member 7a Handle 7b Main body 10 Housing 11 Support fitting 12 Side plate 13 Lid 14 Bolt 15 Support member 16 Bolt 17 Bolt

Claims (6)

a first plate member and a second plate member arranged to face each other;
a first connector and a second connector provided on mutually facing surfaces of these plate-like members, respectively, and configured to be able to be fitted into and separated from each other;
The first plate-like member and the second plate-like member have a planar shape slightly larger than the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member, and the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member are spaced apart from each other in the facing direction. a box-shaped housing having side plates with a depth capable of accommodating the second plate-like member, and having an open surface on the side of the second plate-like member;
has
the first plate-like member is arranged with the surface opposite to the facing surface facing the bottom surface of the housing;
the second plate-shaped member is arranged at a position closer to the bottom than the edge of the side plate of the housing,
A part of the edge of the side plate has a first support with which the tip of the rod-shaped operation member abuts,
The open side surface of the second plate-shaped member includes a second support portion with which a position away from the tip of the operation member abuts,
The second support part is provided on a part of a support fitting provided on the surface of the second plate member on the open side, and supports the force acting on the operation member from the tip. ,
Bonding structure of plate members. The edge portion including the first support portion is provided at a position above the surface of the second plate-shaped member on the open side,
The connecting structure of plate members according to claim 1 . The first support receives a force from the tip of the operation member in the direction of pressing the edge, and the second support contacts a position distant from the tip of the operation member, receive a force in a direction opposite to the first support ;
The connecting structure of plate members according to claim 1 or 2. a lid that covers the open surface of the housing, the lid being connected to a support fitting that includes the second support;
The connection structure of plate members according to claim 3 . Having the connection structure of the plate-shaped member according to claim 4 ,
housing the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member as circuit boards in the housing;
An electronic device in which the cover is fixed by the support fitting provided on the second plate member. The first plate-like member and the second plate-like member arranged with their inner surfaces facing each other have a planar shape slightly larger than those of the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member. a step of housing the two plate members in a housing with an opening, and connecting them to each other by means of a first connector and a second connector provided on the facing surfaces thereof;
a step of bringing the vicinity of one end of a rod-shaped operation member into contact with a first support portion that is part of the edge of the opening of the housing on the outer surface side of the second plate-shaped member;
a step of bringing a position closer to the other end than the one end of the operation member into contact with a second support portion provided on the outer surface side of the second plate-like member;
A force is applied in a direction to disengage the first and second connectors at a position closer to the other end than the contact point of the operating member with the second support portion , thereby connecting the first support portion and the second support portion. a step of applying forces in opposite directions to the two supporting portions ;
A method for attaching and detaching a connector having

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