JP7367512B2 - terminal connection unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal connection unit for connecting conductive wires to terminals.

There is a so-called spring terminal type terminal connection unit that connects a conducting wire to a terminal. This type of terminal connection unit includes a metal terminal plate and a leaf spring. When the end of the conductor is inserted into a predetermined terminal hole, the leaf spring presses the conductor against the terminal board to establish electrical continuity with the terminal board and prevents the conductor from coming off. When the driver is inserted through a predetermined operation hole, the driver comes into contact with the leaf spring and is elastically deformed, and the conducting wire is released so that it can be removed.

A spring terminal type terminal connection unit allows conductor wires to be attached and detached more easily than a screw terminal type, and can prevent poor contact due to forgetting to tighten a screw. On the other hand, in a spring terminal type terminal connection unit, there is a concern that if the leaf spring is bent too much by a driver, plastic deformation will occur and the force with which the conductor is pressed will decrease.

On the other hand, in the terminal connection units described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, excessive bending of the leaf spring is prevented by providing a regulating member that restricts the bending of the leaf spring to a predetermined angle. Among these, in the terminal connection unit described in Patent Document 1, a plate spring is attached to a resin base portion, and a tapered regulating member protrudes from a fitting hole provided at the bottom of the plate spring. This regulating member is a part of the resin base portion.

In the terminal connection unit described in Patent Document 2, the leaf spring and the regulating member are configured by bending a single metal plate. In this case, the leaf spring and the regulating member are formed by being bent from a common side plate.

JP 2017-59362 Publication Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-123272

In the terminal connection unit described in Patent Document 1, since the regulating member protrudes from the fitting hole provided at the bottom of the leaf spring, the width of the regulating member is narrower than the leaf spring, making it difficult to support the leaf spring. It becomes stable. Furthermore, since a gap is created between the regulating member and the rear wall, the regulating member is likely to bend in the rearward direction. Since the regulating member is a part of the resin base, it is made of a resin material, which does not provide sufficient strength, and the resin base has a special shape, resulting in high manufacturing costs.

In the terminal connection unit described in Patent Document 2, since the leaf spring as an elastic body and the regulation part are composed of one plate, it is possible to use the optimal material and plate thickness for each elasticity and regulation. Can not. In addition, it has a complicated shape with different bending directions depending on the location, resulting in high manufacturing costs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal connection unit that can more reliably support a bent leaf spring and can reduce costs. do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, a terminal connection unit according to the present invention includes a housing, a terminal hole that leads a conductor from the outside of the housing to the inside, and a terminal hole that leads an operating member from the outside of the housing to the inside. a terminal plate having an operation hole for guiding the wire, a conductive contact portion that contacts the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole; a plate spring located on an extension of the central axis of the operation hole, the terminal plate being provided on the opposite side of the conductive contact portion with a gap between the plate spring and the plate spring; It has a regulating part that regulates the displacement of the spring, and the regulating part is thicker than the leaf spring and is integrally connected to the conductive contact part.

The conductive contact portion and the restriction portion may be continuous and have the same width.

The terminal board may have a bottom portion between the conductive contact portion and the restriction portion that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the terminal hole.

The terminal board may have a support part parallel to the conductive contact part between the restriction part and the bottom part.

The leaf spring may have one end that presses the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole, and the other end that may be a fixing part that is fixed to the terminal board.

The regulating portion may include a back support member that supports a surface of the plate spring opposite to the regulating surface.

A plurality of the housings may be stacked to form a unit that can be interconnected, and the terminal hole and the operation hole may be formed at an angle with respect to the direction in which the housings are stacked.

The operating hole is opened in a contact surface that abuts one of the adjacent units, and the opening of the operating hole of the other adjacent unit is visible from an extension of the central axis of the operating hole. It may also include an inclined wall with a cutout.

In the terminal connection unit according to the present invention, it is possible to support a bent leaf spring more reliably, and it is also possible to reduce costs.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing a terminal connection unit according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the terminal. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal according to a modification. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the terminal connection unit in a state where a conductive wire is attached. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the terminal connection unit in a state where the conductive wire is opened by operation of the driver. FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view showing the terminal connection unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which two terminal connection units are assembled vertically. FIG. 9 is a front view of a switch and a plurality of terminal connection units to which the switch is attached. FIG. 10 is a side view of a switch and a plurality of terminal connection units to which the switch is attached.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, embodiment of the terminal connection unit concerning this invention is described in detail based on drawing. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a terminal connection unit 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The terminal connection unit 10 connects the conducting wire 12 to the terminal 14, and is of a so-called spring terminal type. In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the front, and the left side will be referred to as the rear. Regarding the top and bottom, the state shown in FIG. 1 is used as a reference. In the following description, expressions regarding directions such as up and down, horizontal, and vertical are for convenience based on the drawings, and there is no restriction on the orientation when the terminal connection unit 10 is used.

The terminal connection unit 10 is based on an upper first housing 16 and a lower second housing 18 in FIG. The first housing 16 and the lower second housing 18 are made of resin, for example. The first housing 16 and the second housing 18 are combined into a substantially box shape. The first housing 16 includes an upper ceiling wall 16a, a front block 16b forming a front surface, a rear wall 16c, and a substantially central inner wall 16d. The rear wall 16c and the middle wall 16d extend approximately to the lower end. The ceiling wall 16a forms the entire upper surface 10a. The front block 16b forms the upper front half of the terminal connection unit 10. An upper chamber 16e is formed between the front block 16b and the middle wall 16d, and a rear chamber 16f is formed between the middle wall 16d and the rear wall 16c. A terminal hole 16g passing through the front block 16b in the vertical direction is formed. The terminal hole 16g is formed by communicating an upper hole 16ga with a slightly larger diameter and a lower hole 16gb with a slightly smaller diameter. The terminal hole 16g is a hole into which the conducting wire 12 is inserted, the conductor portion 12a at the tip can be inserted into the lower hole 16gb, and the covering portion 12b is inserted into the upper hole 16ga but not into the lower hole 16gb. First, the insertion depth is regulated to be appropriate. The conducting wire 12 is, for example, a phenol terminal, a single wire, a twisted wire, or the like.

An operating hole 16h penetrates the top wall 16a from the top surface 10a to the upper chamber 16e adjacent to the front block 16b. The operation hole 16h is inclined slightly forward from the top to the bottom. The operation hole 16h is a hole into which a driver 20 as an operation member is inserted, and has a shape that tapers downward so that the driver 20 can be guided in the correct direction. As is clear from FIG. 1, the terminal hole 16g and the operation hole 16h are arranged adjacent to each other in the front and back. The terminal holes 16g and the operation holes 16h are provided in two sets in parallel in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in accordance with the two conductive contact portions 26a to be described later, but the number of these may be one or three or more. Insertion of the conductive wire 12 into the terminal hole 16g and insertion of the driver 20 into the operation hole 16h are performed manually.

The second housing 18 includes a lower bottom wall 18a, a front wall 18b, a rear auxiliary wall 18c, and a substantially central middle auxiliary wall 18d. The front wall 18b forms the lower front half of the terminal connection unit 10. Bottom wall 18a forms an overall lower surface 10b. The front block 16b and the front wall 18b are in vertical contact with each other. The rear auxiliary wall 18c abuts substantially the lower half of the front surface of the rear wall 16c, and supports the rear wall 16c in strength. The middle auxiliary wall 18d comes into contact with substantially the lower half of the rear surface of the middle wall 16d, and strengthens the middle wall 16d. A lower chamber 18e is formed between the front wall 18b and the middle wall 16d. The lower chamber 18e communicates with the upper chamber 16e.

The lower end of the terminal hole 16g opens into the lower chamber 18e. The space between the rear auxiliary wall 18c and the middle auxiliary wall 18d forms a part of the rear chamber 16f. An attachment attachment/detachment mechanism 22 is provided below the lower surface 10b. The attachment/detachment mechanism 22 is a mechanism to which attachments such as the switch unit 50 (see FIG. 9) are attached/detached. In addition to the switch unit 50, attachments that can be attached and detached include, for example, a lamp, a selector, and the like. A contact mechanism 24 is provided in the rear chamber 16f. The contact mechanism is a mechanism in which, when the switch unit 50 is provided as an attachment, the contact 24a moves up and down based on the on/off operation of the switch unit 50 to contact and separate from a contact 26n, which will be described later. Both left and right sides (both sides parallel to the paper plane of FIG. 1) of the terminal connection unit 10 are closed by side plates that are part of the first housing 16, for example.

The terminal 14 includes a terminal plate 26 and a leaf spring 28. The terminal plate 26 is a component that contacts and conducts the inserted conductive wire 12. The leaf spring 28 presses and fixes the conducting wire 12 against the terminal plate 26 with its elastic force, and can be elastically deformed by being pushed by the tip of the driver 20, and releases the conducting wire 12 by being elastically deformed. The lower chamber 18e is provided with a back support member 30 that supports a surface of the restriction portion 26b opposite to the restriction surface of the leaf spring 28. The back support member 30 is in contact with the bottom wall 18a and the middle wall 16d.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal 14. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the leaf spring 28 is seen through so that the terminal plate 26 can be easily seen, and the leaf spring 28 is shown by an imaginary line. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the terminal 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal plate 26 is a metal component formed by cutting and bending a single plate. The terminal plate 26 is made of a material suitable as a conductive material, such as copper or an alloy thereof. The terminal plate 26 has an appropriate thickness and strength suitable for the conductive wire 12 to be pressed against it by the leaf spring 28.

The leaf spring 28 is an elastic component formed by cutting and bending a single sheet of plate material. The leaf spring 28 is made of a material suitable as an elastic material, such as stainless steel or a resin plate. Although the leaf spring 28 does not particularly need to be electrically conductive, it is preferable to have electrical conductivity when used for voltage detection. The leaf spring 28 is thin so that it can be easily elastically deformed. The terminal plate 26 and the leaf spring 28 are separate parts, and are made of materials and thicknesses suitable for each.

The terminal board 26 has two conductive contact parts 26a against which the conductive wire 12 is pressed by the leaf spring 28, a restriction part 26b that restricts the displacement of the leaf spring 28 that is elastically deformed by the operation of the driver 20, and a rear end of the restriction part 26b. One first support portion 26d that bends, two second support portions (support portions) 26c that bend from the front end, and a bottom portion 26e that connects the two second support portions 26c and the two conductive contact portions 26a, respectively; The contact portion 26f extends further rearward from the first support portion 26d. The regulating portion 26b is provided on the opposite side of the conductive contact portion 26a with a gap between the plate spring 28 and the conductive contact portion 26a. The conductive contact portion 26a and the restriction portion 26b are connected by a bottom portion 26e that is bent so as to close the direction in which the leading end of the conductive wire 12 extends (corresponding to the downward direction in FIG. 1).

The conductive contact portion 26a, the bottom portion 26e, and the second support portion 26c are continuously connected to form a tongue piece 26g. The tongue piece 26g has a width that is sufficiently wider than the conductor wire 12. A pair of tongue pieces 26g are arranged in parallel, and a deep notch 26h is formed between them. The cutout 26h extends from the conductive contact portion 26a to the lower half of the restriction portion 26b, into which a partition plate that is part of the housing is fitted.

The conductive contact portion 26a is a plate member extending in the vertical direction, and is provided with a backward protrusion 26i near its upper end. The protrusion 26i is formed, for example, by press working, and extends over the entire length of the conductive contact portion 26a in the width direction. The second support portion 26c is a plate member extending in the vertical direction. The bottom portion 26e is oriented perpendicular to the conductive contact portion 26a and the second support portion 26c, in other words, the bottom portion 26e is a horizontal plate that is oriented perpendicular to the axial direction of the terminal hole 16g, and is a horizontal plate member that is oriented perpendicularly to the conductive contact portion 26a and the second support portion 26c. The portion 26c is connected to the portion 26c.

The regulating portion 26b is an inclined plate member, and the angle of inclination thereof is, for example, 45° from the horizontal. The regulating portion 26b is continuously connected to the two tongue pieces 26g. The regulating portion 26b is a portion that comes into contact with two acting portions 28a, which will be described later, to regulate displacement. The terminal plate 26 is thicker than the leaf spring 28 at least at the restricting portion 26b.

The first support portion 26d is a plate material that is bent from the rear end of the restriction portion 26b and extends horizontally toward the rear. A pair of steps 26j are formed on both sides between the first support portion 26d and the restriction portion 26b, and the first support portion 26d is narrower in width than the restriction portion 26b. A rectangular spring fixing hole 26k is formed in the first support portion 26d and extends vertically through the spring fixing hole 26k.

The contact portion 26f is a plate member that extends horizontally further rearward from the rear end of the first support portion 26d. A pair of steps 26m are formed on both sides between the contact portion 26f and the first support portion 26d, and the width of the contact portion 26f is narrower than that of the first support portion 26d. A contact point 26n is provided on the lower surface near the rear end of the contact portion 26f. The contact 26n is a part that comes into contact with and separates from the contact 24a (see FIG. 1), and is made of a material with low contact resistance and good arc resistance, such as gold, silver, platinum, or an alloy thereof, or conductive rubber. It will be done. A small piece 26o projects rearward from the rear end of the contact portion 26f. A pair of steps 26p are formed on both sides between the small piece 26o and the contact portion 26f, and the small piece 26o is narrower in width than the contact portion 26f.

The terminal plate 26 has a simple shape obtained by cutting and bending a rectangular material, is low in cost, and has a high yield from the base material. The terminal plate 26 has four bent portions. That is, a 90° bent portion between the conductive contact portion 26a and the bottom portion 26e, a 90° bent portion between the bottom portion 26e and the second support portion 26c, and a 45° bent portion between the second support portion 26c and the restriction portion 26b. , and a 45° bent portion between the restriction portion 26b and the first support portion 26d. These bent portions are all folds in the short direction (that is, the width direction) of the base material, and the folds along the longitudinal direction of the base material are all parallel. On the other hand, the regulating member described in Patent Document 2 has folds not only along the longitudinal direction of the base material but also along the short direction of the base material, so it requires complicated processing in which the bending directions intersect. shall be. In this way, compared to the method in which the bending directions intersect as shown in Patent Document 2, the present invention in which the conductive contact portion and the regulating portion are integrally formed is easier to process and is even more The cost can be reduced.

Returning to FIG. 1, the front surface of the conductive contact part 26a is in contact with the back surface of the front wall 18b with almost no gap, and the upper surface of the conductive contact part 26a is in almost contact with the lower surface of the front block 16b. Thereby, the conductive contact portion 26a remains stable even if it receives elastic force from the leaf spring 28 from diagonally below. The rear surface of the conductive contact portion 26a is substantially continuous with the front end surface of the lower hole 16gb in the terminal hole 16g, so that the conductor portion 12a of the conducting wire 12 can be easily inserted. The bottom portion 26e is in contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall 18a. The conductive wire 12 is inserted between the leaf spring 28 and the conductive contact portion 26a. At this time, although some downward force is applied to the conductive contact portion 26a, the conductive contact portion 26a is in contact with the bottom wall 18a via the bottom portion 26e and is stable.

The first support portion 26d is in contact with the inner wall 16d so as to be orthogonal to the inner wall 16d via a step 26m. The second support portion 26c is in contact with the bottom wall 18a so as to be orthogonal to the bottom wall 18a via the bottom portion 26e. The bottom wall 18a and the middle wall 16d are perpendicular to each other. As described above, the regulating portion 26b regulates the displacement of the leaf spring 28 that is elastically deformed by the driver 20, but at this time, an excessive force may be applied to the driver 20 depending on the operator. Furthermore, although the direction of the driver 20 is generally determined by the operation hole 16h, some operators may apply force in different directions. In these cases as well, both ends of the restricting portion 26b are in contact with the middle wall 16d and the bottom wall 18a, which are perpendicular to each other, so that the first supporting portion 26d and the second supporting portion 26c are orthogonal to each other, and the restricting portion 26b is stable. The regulating portion 26b is more stable because its back surface is supported by the back supporting member 30 with respect to the middle wall 16d and the bottom wall 18a, but the second supporting portion 26c and the first supporting portion 26d alone cannot provide adequate stability. In this case, the back support member 30 can be omitted.

By providing the second support part 26c, the bottom part 26e is arranged below the protrusion 26i and the restriction part 26b to some extent, and the tip of the conductor is surrounded on three sides by the bottom part 26e, the conductive contact part 26a, and the second support part 26c. A space 26q is formed. The lead end space 26q is a space into which the conductor portion 12a enters. In the terminal connection unit 10, since there is a lead end space 26q in the insertion direction of the lead wire 12, there is a margin around the conductor part 12a, so that the conductor part 12a is not twisted and the strands are not unraveled. The conductor tip space 26q is a rectangular area in which the front conductive contact part 26a and the rear second support part 26c are vertical planes parallel to the insertion direction of the conductor 12, and the lower bottom part 26e is a horizontal plane, so that the space is appropriately wide. It is secured.

However, depending on the design conditions, the conductor tip space 26q is not limited to this, and may have a semicircular arc shape with an upward opening, for example. That is, like the terminal plate 15 according to the modification shown in FIG. 4, the lead end space 26q may be formed by one bent part.

The conductive contact portion 26a, bottom portion 26e, second support portion 26c, restriction portion 26b, and first support portion 26d of the terminal board 26 are arranged in the lower chamber 18e. A contact portion 26f of the terminal plate 26 protrudes rearward through a hole provided in the inner wall 16d, and is disposed in the rear chamber 16f. The contact portion 26f is stabilized by fitting the small piece 26o into the recess of the rear wall 16c.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the leaf spring 28 includes a pair of acting portions 28a, a pair of arcuate portions 28b, and a common fixing portion 28c. That is, the front end of the leaf spring 28 is a part that presses the conductor part 12a against the conductive contact part 26a, and the rear end is a fixing part 28c that is fixed to the terminal plate 26. The action portion 28a and the arcuate portion 28b are connected to form a spring body 28d. A pair of spring bodies 28d are arranged in parallel in the width direction, and a deep notch 28e is formed between them. Each spring body 28d has the same width as the tongue piece 26g, and the position in the width direction matches that of the corresponding tongue piece 26g.

The action portion 28a is a slightly elongated plate, and its tip extends diagonally downward and forward. The action portion 28a is located on an extension of the central axis of the operation hole 40, which will be described later. The rear end of the action portion 28a is continuously connected to the arcuate portion 28b. Although the leaf spring 28 is entirely an elastic body, when it is displaced by the operation of the driver 20, most of the displacement is due to the deformation of the circular arc portion 28b. This is because the arcuate portion 28b is a pre-bent portion, and is located intermediate between the abutting portion by the driver 20 and the fixing portion 28c.

The arc portion 28b has a circular arc shape of, for example, about 240 degrees when viewed from the side, and is large enough to occupy most of the upper chamber 16e (see FIG. 1). The arc portion 28b is elastically deformed so that its arc angle increases or decreases. The arcuate portion 28b is appropriately long and has a total length that is equal to or longer than the acting portion 28a. The arc portion 28b has a large arc angle and a long overall length, so it is easily deformed elastically, and there is a large margin until it reaches the plastic region, and it is difficult to deform plastically.

The fixing part 28c includes a connecting part 28f connected to the two spring bodies 28d, and a protruding piece 28g that projects downward from the connecting part 28f and fits into the spring fixing hole 26k. The leaf spring 28 is fixed to the terminal plate 26 by fitting the protruding piece 28g into the spring fixing hole 26k. Since the terminal plate 26 is appropriately thick, the spring fixing hole 26k is also appropriately deep, and the plate spring 28 can be stably fixed by simply fitting the protrusion 28g into the spring fixing hole 26k. The lower end of the protruding piece 28g is slightly bent toward the rear, so that it is difficult to come off from the spring fixing hole 26k. Although the terminal plate 26 and the leaf spring 28 are separate parts, the fixing portion 28c may be integrated with the terminal plate 26 by adhesion, welding, caulking, or the like.

In the initial state (the state shown in FIG. 1) when the conductor 12 is not attached and the driver 20 is not operating the leaf spring 28, the leaf spring 28 has a slight elasticity compared to its natural state (the single state before assembly to the terminal plate 26). The front end of the acting portion 28a is in contact with the lower surface of the protrusion 26i of the conductive contact portion 26a or slightly below it due to its elasticity. The inclination angle of the action portion 28a at this time is, for example, about 30° from the horizontal. When the operating portion 28a of the leaf spring 28 is pushed downward by the driver 20, it is further elastically deformed and its inclination angle increases, but the deformation is regulated by coming into contact with the upper surface of the restricting portion 26b. This deformation is within the elastic range and the leaf spring 28 does not undergo plastic deformation. The arcuate portion 28b of the leaf spring 28 is arranged in the upper chamber 16e, and the other arcuate portion 28b and fixed portion 28c are arranged in the lower chamber 18e.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the terminal connection unit 10 in a state where the conductive wire 12 is attached. As shown in FIG. 5, when the conducting wire 12 is inserted into the terminal hole 16g, the conductor portion 12a passes through the lower hole 16gb and enters the lower chamber 18e. The conductor portion 12a is slightly inclined so as to spread out the acting portion 28a of the leaf spring 28, and enters between the tip of the acting portion 28a and the conductive contact portion 26a. Since the acting part 28a generates an elastic force in the direction of returning to the initial state, its tip presses the conductor part 12a obliquely from below against the conductive contact part 26a toward the lower part of the protrusion 26i. Thereby, the conductor portion 12a is electrically connected to the conductive contact portion 26a. At this time, approximately the upper half of the acting portion 28a is disposed in the upper chamber 16e.

The leaf spring 28 has a relatively small elastic modulus and is easily bent, allowing the operator to insert the conducting wire 12 into the terminal hole 16g with a light force. Further, compared to a screw-type terminal connection unit, there is no need for screw-fastening work, and the conducting wire 12 can be quickly attached, and poor contact due to forgetting to close the screw can be prevented. Two terminal holes 16g are provided, and the conducting wires 12 can be inserted and attached to each terminal hole individually. Since a conductor tip space 26q is formed in the terminal plate 26, no external force is applied to the tip of the conductor portion 12a. The conductive wire 12 is engaged with the acting portion 28a and the protrusion 26i, and when a force in the pulling direction is applied, the acting portion 28a presses the conductor portion 12a more strongly toward the protrusion 26i, and the clamped conductor portion 12a is Hard to come off. In this way, the conductive wire 12 is engaged with the terminal 14 fairly strongly. Note that if the conducting wire 12 is thin and highly flexible, the operating portion 28a may be separated from the conductive contact portion 26a by operating the driver 20 when the conducting wire 12 is attached.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the terminal connection unit 10 in a state where the conductive wire 12 is opened by operating the driver 20. As shown in FIG. 6, when the driver 20 is inserted into the operation hole 16h, the tip of the driver 20 passes in front of the arcuate part 28b and is oblique to the upper part of the action part 28a arranged in the upper chamber 16e. comes into contact with. When the driver 20 is further inserted, the tip of the driver 20 pushes down the acting portion 28a to increase the inclination angle of the acting portion 28a. Then, the tip of the operating portion 28a is separated from the conductor portion 12a, and the conductive wire 12 is released from the engaged state between the operating portion 28a and the conductive contact portion 26a, and can be extracted from the terminal hole 16g. The leaf spring 28 has a relatively small elastic modulus and is easily bent, allowing the operator to insert the driver 20 into the operation hole 16h with a light force. Further, compared to a screw-type terminal connection unit, loosening of screws is not necessary, and the conducting wire 12 can be opened quickly. Two operation holes 16h are provided, and the driver 20 can be inserted and the conducting wire 12 can be opened individually in each operation hole 16h.

When the tip of the acting part 28a is slightly displaced, the conductor 12 can be removed, but as the driver 20 is further inserted, the inclination angle of the acting part 28a becomes even larger, and eventually the lower surface of the acting part 28a comes into contact with the regulating part 26b. The displacement of the acting portion 28a is regulated. As a result, the plate spring 28 is prevented from being plastically deformed due to excessive deformation, and even when repeatedly operated by the driver 20, an appropriate elastic force is maintained, and the force for engaging the conducting wire 12 does not decrease.

Since the acting portion 28a is a member that presses the conductive wire 12 against the conductive contact portion 26a, both have the same width (see FIG. 3). Since the restricting portion 26b is continuously formed from the two conductive contact portions 26a as a plate material, the width of the restricting portion 26b is equal to the total width of the two conductive contact portions 26a with the notch 26h sandwiched therebetween. In other words, the regulating portion 26b and the two conductive contact portions 26a are continuous with the same width. In this case, the width of the regulating portion 26b is necessarily equal to the total width of the two acting portions 28a sandwiching the notch 28e. The entire width of each acting portion 28a of the two leaf springs 28 comes into contact with the regulating portion 26b, so that the regulating portion 26b stably supports the acting portion 28a. Furthermore, the regulating portion 26b and the acting portion 28a have substantially the same length, and are stabilized because their substantially entire surfaces abut against each other. Further, the regulating portion 26b and the acting portion 28a are in surface contact with each other, so that the acting portion 28a is not deformed by applying a load to only a portion thereof. Depending on design conditions, the width of the restricting portion 26b may be larger than the total width of the two conductive contact portions 26a sandwiching the notch 26h.

Further, even if the operator applies a considerable force to the driver 20 or a force in an inappropriate direction, the terminal plate 26 is a separate part from the thin leaf spring 28, and the terminal plate 26 is made of metal with an appropriate thickness. Since it is made of a material, the regulating portion 26b is also thicker than the leaf spring 28, has appropriate strength, and does not deform. Furthermore, as described above, since the regulating part 26b is supported by the bottom wall 18a and the middle wall 16d via the first supporting part 26d, the second supporting part 26c, and the back support member 30, it is stable without deformation or displacement. ing. Although a compressive load acts on the back support member 30, unlike the regulating member of Patent Document 1, it hardly bends due to external force and has a large load capacity. In the terminal connection unit 10, the regulating portion 26b is a part of the terminal board 26, and a special part for regulating the deformation of the leaf spring 28 is not required. When the driver 20 is removed from the operation hole 16h, the leaf spring 28 returns to its initial state (see FIG. 1).

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a terminal connection unit 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the terminal connection unit 10A, the same components as those in the above-described terminal connection unit 10 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Similar to the terminal connection unit 10, the terminal connection unit 10A has a configuration in which two conductive wires 12 can be individually attached and detached.

As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal connection unit 10A has a terminal 14A, a back support member 30A, a terminal hole 38, and an operation hole 40. The terminal 14A has a terminal plate 26A and a leaf spring 28A. The terminal 14A, the terminal hole 38, the back support member 30A, the operation hole 40, the terminal plate 26A, and the leaf spring 28A are the same as the terminal 14, the terminal hole 16g, the operation hole 16h, the back support member 30, the terminal plate 26, and the leaf spring 28. corresponds to

The terminal plate 26A has a conductive contact portion 26Aa, a restriction portion 26Ab, and a bottom portion 26Ae. The conductive contact portion 26Aa has the same configuration as the conductive contact portion 26a described above, but is inclined by, for example, 30 degrees from the stacking direction (that is, the vertical direction) of the units. The front wall (inclined wall) 18Ab that comes into contact with the conductive contact portion 26Aa also has the same inclination angle, and a triangular driver space 42 is secured below the front wall 18Ab when viewed from the side.

In the terminal connection unit 10A, the terminal hole 38 and the operation hole 40 are also inclined in accordance with the conductive contact portion 26a. The opening 38a of the terminal hole 38 is located on the front surface of the front block 16b. The opening 40a of the operation hole 40 is located near the front end of the upper surface 10a. The upper surface 10a serves as a contact surface with other adjacent units.

The restriction portion 26Ab corresponds to the restriction portion 26b described above, but is set vertically. The bottom portion 26Ae corresponds to the above-mentioned bottom portion 26e, but since it is connected to the conductive contact portion 26Aa at right angles, it is not horizontal, and is apart from the bottom wall 18a except for the front end. The terminal plate 26A does not have a portion corresponding to the second support portion 26c described above. The first support portion 26d and the restriction portion 26Ab are connected to each other by being bent at a right angle. The leaf spring 28A has a connecting portion 28Af corresponding to the connecting portion 28f described above that is slightly longer in the vertical direction. The back support member 30A is provided so as to be in contact with the regulating portion 26Ab and the inner wall 16d, but does not need to be in contact with the bottom wall 18a.

Such a terminal connection unit 10A is easy to operate because the conductor 12 and driver 20 can be inserted diagonally from the front when the operator is in front. Further, the angle of the acting portion 28a of the leaf spring 28A changes as it is pressed by the tip of the driver 20, and when it becomes vertical, it comes into contact with the restricting portion 26Ab and further deformation is restricted. This prevents the leaf spring 28A from being plastically deformed due to excessive deformation. At this time, the force that the acting part 28a receives from the driver 20 is directed backwards, and is supported by the vertical inner wall 16d via the horizontal first support part 26d and the back support member 30A.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which two terminal connection units 10A are stacked and connected in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8, two (or three or more) terminal connection units 10A can be assembled by stacking them one above the other. Two adjacent terminal connection units 10A are assembled by the attachment/detachment mechanism 22 of one engaging a portion of the other. The two adjacent terminal connection units 10A assembled vertically have their contacts 24a interlocked with each other. This enables synchronized contact opening/closing operations for the four conducting wires 12.

Further, the front wall 18Ab of the upper terminal connection unit 10A is inclined so as to expose the opening 40a of the upper surface 10a of the adjacent lower terminal connection unit 10A, and the inclination angle is aligned with the operation hole 40. There is. That is, the front wall 18Ab is formed by cutting out a part of the housing so that it can be seen from an extension of the central axis of the operation hole 40. Therefore, the driver 20 can be inserted from the driver space 42 into the operation hole 40 in the lower terminal connection unit 10A.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the switch unit 50 and the plurality of terminal connection units 10A to which the switch unit 50 is attached. FIG. 10 is a side view of the switch unit 50 and a plurality of terminal connection units 10A to which the switch unit 50 is attached. 8, 9, and 10 are upside down.

As shown in FIG. 10, two terminal connection units 10A can be connected in parallel in the left and right direction. For example, a switch unit 50 can be connected as a common attachment to each attachment/detachment mechanism 22 (see FIG. 8) in the two terminal connection units 10A connected in parallel. A panel 52 can be interposed between the button operation section 50a of the switch unit 50 and the lower surface 10b of the terminal connection unit 10A.

In the two terminal connection units 10A connected in parallel in the left and right direction, the mutual contacts 24a (see FIG. 8) are interlocked by operation of the switch unit 50, and the mutual terminals 14A are connected or disconnected via the switch unit 50. It becomes conductive. Note that two terminal connection units 10 described above are similarly connected in parallel, and a common attachment can be attached.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of terminal connection units 10A can be stacked and connected in the vertical direction. In Figure 10, two terminal connection units 10A are connected vertically on the left side, and only one terminal connection unit 10A is installed on the right side, but two or more terminal connection units 10A can be connected vertically on the right side as well. It is. In the example shown in FIG. 10, four conductive wires 12 can be connected to two terminal connection units 10A on the left side, and two conductive wires 12 can be connected to one terminal connection unit 10A on the right side. The four conductive wires 12 on the left side are switched into conduction or non-conduction with the two conductive wires 12 on the right side via the switch unit 50.

As shown in FIG. 9, even when a plurality of terminal connection units 10A are connected in the vertical direction, the opening 38a of the terminal hole 38 is exposed on the front surface, so that the conducting wire 12 can be inserted. Further, as described above, since the opening 40a of the operation hole 40 is exposed by the inclined front wall 18Ab, the driver 20 can be inserted therein.

In addition, although the example in which the driver 20 is inserted into the operation hole 16h as the operation for the action portion 28a has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a pusher (operation member) that presses the action portion 28a may be provided. Good too. If such a pusher is provided in the terminal connection units 10, 10A, the driver 20 is not required. The number of conductive wires 12 that can be connected to one terminal connection unit 10, 10A is not limited to two, but may be configured such that one or three or more conductive wires can be connected. In this case, the number of conductive contact portions 26a, 26Aa on the terminal plates 26, 26A and the number of action portions 28a on the leaf springs 28, 28A may be one or more than three in accordance with the number of conducting wires 12.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10,10A Terminal connection unit 10a top surface (contact surface)
10b Bottom surface (contact surface)
12 Conductor wire 12a Conductor portions 14, 14A, 15 Terminal 16 First housing 18 Second housing 16a Top wall 16c Rear wall 16d Middle wall 16f Rear chamber 16g, 38 Terminal hole 16h, 40 Operation hole 18a Bottom wall 18b, 18Ab Front wall 20 Driver (operating member)
22 Attachment/detachment mechanism 24 Contact mechanism 24a Contacts 26, 26A Terminal plates 26a, 26Aa Conductive contact portions 26b, 26Ab Regulating portion 26c Second support portion 26d First support portions 26e, 26Ae Bottom portion 26f Contact portion 26g Tongue piece 26k Spring fixing hole 26q Conductor tip space 28, 28A Leaf spring 28a Acting part 28b Arc part 28c Fixed part 28d Spring body 28f, 28Af Connecting part 28g Projection piece 30, 30A Back support member 50 Switch unit

Claims (7)

housing and
a terminal hole for guiding a conductor from the outside of the housing to the inside;
an operation hole that guides an operation member from the outside of the housing into the inside;
a terminal board having a conductive contact portion that contacts the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole;
a plate spring that urges the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole toward the conductive contact portion by an elastic force and is located on an extension line of the central axis of the operation hole;
A terminal connection unit comprising:
The terminal board is
a regulating part provided on the opposite side of the conductive contact part with a gap between the plate spring and regulating the displacement of the plate spring;
The regulating portion is integrally connected to the conductive contact portion ,
A terminal connection unit characterized in that the conductive contact portion and the restriction portion are continuous with the same width . housing and
a terminal hole for guiding a conductor from the outside of the housing to the inside;
an operation hole that guides an operation member from the outside of the housing into the inside;
a terminal board having a conductive contact portion that contacts the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole;
a plate spring that urges the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole toward the conductive contact portion by an elastic force and is located on an extension line of the central axis of the operation hole;
A terminal connection unit comprising:
The terminal board is
a regulating part provided on the opposite side of the conductive contact part with a gap between the plate spring and regulating the displacement of the plate spring;
The regulating portion is integrally connected to the conductive contact portion ,
The terminal plate has a bottom portion between the conductive contact portion and the restriction portion that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the terminal hole,
The terminal connection unit is characterized in that the terminal board has a support part parallel to the conductive contact part between the restriction part and the bottom part. housing and
a terminal hole for guiding a conductor from the outside of the housing to the inside;
an operation hole that guides an operation member from the outside of the housing into the inside;
a terminal board having a conductive contact portion that contacts the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole;
a plate spring that urges the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole toward the conductive contact portion by an elastic force and is located on an extension line of the central axis of the operation hole;
A terminal connection unit comprising:
The terminal board is
a regulating part provided on the opposite side of the conductive contact part with a gap between the plate spring and regulating the displacement of the plate spring;
The regulating portion is integrally connected to the conductive contact portion ,
A terminal connection unit comprising a back support member that supports a surface of the restriction portion opposite to a restriction surface of the leaf spring . 4. The leaf spring has one end that presses the conductive wire inserted into the terminal hole , and the other end that is a fixing part that is fixed to the terminal board. Terminal connection unit described in . Stacking a plurality of the housings to form an interconnectable unit,
5. The terminal connection unit according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal hole and the operation hole are formed in an inclined direction with respect to a stacking direction of the housings. The operation hole opens in a contact surface that contacts one of the adjacent units,
6. The housing according to claim 5, wherein the opening of the operation hole of the other adjacent unit is provided with an inclined wall formed by cutting out a part of the housing so as to be visible from an extension of the central axis of the operation hole. Terminal connection unit. 7. The terminal connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion is thicker than the leaf spring.

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