JPH0332069Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention has a switch mechanism for a power circuit in addition to normal signal contacts, and when they are mated together, a switch is activated along with the connection of the above-mentioned normal contacts. The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a switch mechanism for also connecting mechanisms.

(Prior Art) In recent years, in many portable electronic devices, mobile electronic devices, and the like, the power supply device and the electronic device are separated in order to reduce weight and size or to facilitate handling during transportation. At this time, the power supply device and the electronic device are electrically coupled with a connector with a cable. This connector has contacts for each signal and a switch mechanism for the power circuit, and by inserting and removing the connector, the signal contacts are connected/disconnected and the power circuit is also turned on/off.
Such connectors are preferred because they ensure that the power is turned on and off when the device is in use or not in use.

As such a connector, for example,
-6389. This connector has a switch unit on one housing side. The switch unit includes:
A plurality of power supply contacts in an open state are provided, and a shorting member is provided that moves to short-circuit the contacts when the housing is fitted with the other housing. The shorting member is always urged by a spring in the direction of releasing the short circuit, and when the connector is connected, the shorting member is moved in the shorting direction by another member against the force of the spring. It's summery.

(Problems to be Solved) However, the above-mentioned conventional connector having a switch unit had the following problems.

First, the switch unit is made separately from the connector body, has a large number of components, is complex, and has moving parts, making it unreliable, unsuitable for mass production, and expensive. That's what it means.

Furthermore, since the switch unit is separate from the connector body, it becomes bulky to be attached to the connector, which goes against the desire to miniaturize devices, and further reduces reliability and cost due to the complicated mounting structure. becomes disadvantageous.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned connectors, the present invention has a plurality of contacts implanted in both of a pair of insulating housings that fit together. In an electrical connector in which corresponding contacts are coupled by mating, the plurality of contacts are provided radially inward from the mating circumferential surface of the insulating housing, and the mating circumferential surface is arranged so as to surround the plurality of contacts. The outer cylindrical shell of one insulating housing is formed by the circumferential surface of the outer cylindrical shell of one insulating housing provided in A plurality of switch contacts are provided in an open state at positions on the mating peripheral surface, and a shorting member is provided in the other insulating housing to contact and short-circuit a predetermined switch contact when the mating is performed. is provided in the annular space, and the plurality of switch contacts in the open state and the shorting member are provided at positions where they come into contact after the contacts of both insulating housings are coupled.

According to the connector of the present invention, simply by fitting both housings together, the short-circuiting member comes into contact with a predetermined switch contact and short-circuits, so that the switch is turned on. Also, when the housing is removed, the shorting member separates from the switch contact, so the switch turns OFF.

Furthermore, depending on the device, there may be a requirement that there be a time difference, even if only slightly, between the coupling/disconnection of signal contacts and the coupling/disconnection of power switch contacts. By changing the tip position or length of the contact, the timing of contact can be varied.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the connection/disconnection of the power switch contacts is performed within the annular space to ensure safety. In this case, if the switch contact of one of the insulating housings is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical shell, short circuits due to finger contact will not occur.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, in which 10 is a plug connector and 20 is a receptacle connector, which form a pair to be fitted together.

The plug connector 10 includes an insulating housing 12 holding a plurality of pin-shaped male contacts 13 in a protruding state, and an insulating housing 12 formed integrally with the insulating housing 12 so as to surround the male contacts 13 from the periphery of the insulating housing 12. Cylindrical outer shell 1
It is mainly composed of 1. That is, the male contact 13 extending from the insulating housing 12 exists within the space enclosed by the outer cylindrical shell 11 . The pin-shaped male contact 13 is made of a conductive metal material, and is adapted to be fitted and electrically connected to a female contact provided in a receptacle connector 20, which will be described later. A curved recess 11' having a certain depth is formed in a part of the inner surface of the outer cylinder shell 11, and a metal shorting plate 15 curved along the recess 11' is connected to short-circuit the recess 11'. It is fitted as a member. A groove (not shown) cut into the insulating housing 12 is formed in the deep part of the recess, and a locking projection 16 is provided at the tip of the shorting plate 15.
The short circuit plate 15 is fitted by press-fitting the short circuit plate 6 into the groove. Furthermore, a protruding guide key 14 is provided inside the outer cylinder shell to prevent the male contact 13 from fitting into a female contact other than the corresponding female contact, thereby preventing erroneous connection.

On the other hand, the receptacle connector 20 also has an outer cylindrical shell 21 and an insulating housing 22 that are integrally molded, but the insulating housing 22 extends into the region of the outer cylindrical shell 21 in a cylindrical shape. Therefore, an annular space 29 is formed between the two. The annular space 29 is connected to the outer cylinder shell 1 of the above-mentioned plug connector.
1 is sized to fit perfectly. The cylindrical insulating housing 22 is provided with a plurality of thin holding holes penetrating through it and opening between both ends at positions corresponding to the male contacts 13 of the plug connector described above, and after the female contacts 23 are embedded therein. It protrudes at the end side and forms a connection portion 23'. A guide groove 24 is formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical insulating housing 22 to receive the guide key 14 of the plug connector. Further, two contact grooves 22' extending parallel to the female contacts are formed on the outer surface of the insulating housing, and the two contact grooves 22' are provided with spring properties by bent portions facing outward. A strip-shaped switch contact 26 having a curved contact portion 26' is attached. Contacts 26, 26 for the two switches
is provided so that when the plug connector 10 is fitted into the receptacle connector 20 at a predetermined position by the guide key 14, the contact portions 26', 26' contact the shorting plate 15 of the plug connector. ing. In addition, the contact 26 for the above switch
Similarly to the female contact, a connecting portion 26'' is provided protruding from the rear end of the insulating housing.

The connector configured in this manner is used in the following manner. That is, plug connector 1
0 connects the electric wire of the cable to the connection part (not shown) of each contact 13, and the receptacle connector 20 connects the power circuit (not shown) of the device including the power supply part to the stand or panel of the device for the switch. The signal circuit is connected to the connection portion 26'' of the contact 26, and the signal circuit is connected to the connection portion 23' of the female contact 23.
When the plug connector 10 and receptacle connector 20 connected in this way are fitted, the inner surface of the shorting plate 15 provided on the plug connector 10 and the contact portion 26' of the switch contact 26 provided on the receptacle connector 20 are connected. come into contact with each other, and as a result, the power is turned on by mating the connectors together. In this case, depending on whether the power switch is turned on before the male contact 13 and the female contact 23 are connected, or vice versa, the power switch is turned on after the male contact 13 is connected to the female contact 23. It is possible to change the position or the position of the contact portion 26' of the switch contact 26. That is, when turning on the power switch before connecting the male and female contacts, the shorting plate 15 is positioned as close to the fitted front end of the outer cylindrical shell 11 as possible, and the contact portion 26' of the switch contact 26 is also placed close to the insulating housing 22. It may be positioned at the tip on the fitting side.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a switch contact 16A is attached to a plug connector 10A, and a shorting plate 25 is attached to a receptacle connector 20A.
A is provided, which shows the possibility of application opposite to the previous embodiment. The switch contact 16A and the shorting plate 25A can be fixed in the same manner as in the previous embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a third embodiment showing yet another possibility.

In this embodiment, the plug connector 10B is completely connected to the receptacle connector 20B by providing the switch contact 26B at the bottom of the annular space 29B formed between the outer cylinder shell 21B and the insulating housing 22B of the receptacle connector. The power switch was turned on only when the power was turned on. The advantages of this embodiment are:
Since the switch contact 26B is installed at the back of the receptacle connector, there is no risk of your fingertips coming into contact with the power supply when connecting the connectors, and problems such as shots are eliminated, and the male and female contacts are completely connected. Since the power switch is turned on from the front, it also prevents erroneous connections.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment as yet another application example. That is, in the first embodiment, the switch contact 26 has only one contact portion 2.
6', when the connectors are fitted together while prying each other when coming into contact with the shorting plate 15 of the mating connector 10, the switch contact 2
6 and the shorting plate 15 may become unstable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the switch contact 26 of one connector 20C is
C is made into a U-shape to provide an inner contact surface 26C' and an outer contact surface 26C'', and the shorting plate 15C of the mating connector 10C is arranged so as to cover the outer cylinder shell 11 from the inside to the outside in a U-shape. The contact portions 26C' and 26C'' of the receptacle connector are pressed together to make contact, thereby ensuring that at least one contact is made securely.

In the embodiments described above, the short circuit plate is press-fitted into the outer cylinder shell or the insulating housing. This short circuit plate is not limited to this, but may be integrally molded with the above-mentioned outer cylinder shell or insulating housing, or may be plated with metal at the corresponding location.

Furthermore, although the above switch mechanism is constructed from a combination of a pair of switch contacts and a piece of shorting plate, the present invention is not limited to this; multiple pairs of switch contacts may be used, and the shorting plate may be made of a plurality of pieces or a piece of shorting plate. Of course, a cylindrical short circuit plate may also be used.

Further, in the above explanation, the switch mechanism has been explained only in terms of turning on/off the power supply circuit, but it is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to turning on/off various signal circuits.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, a connector with a switch mechanism is provided with an extremely simple structure, so that it has the following effects.

A switch mechanism is configured within the connector body,
Moreover, the contacts can be placed in the same position as conventional connectors, resulting in a connector with a switch mechanism that can meet the demand for smaller connectors.

Since the switch mechanism is extremely simple, has a small number of parts, and is easy to assemble, mass production, especially automatic assembly, is possible, improving reliability and reducing costs.

The conventional one uses moving parts to control the switch.
Unlike the previous on/off switch, since no moving parts are used, there are no causes of failure, and reliability is further improved.

After the plurality of contacts used for signals are completely connected, the power circuit is turned on by the shorting member, so troubles due to incorrect connections are avoided.

Safety is increased because the power switch is opened and closed within the annular space.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings are partially cutaway perspective views showing the connectors according to the embodiments of the present invention before they are connected, and FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment, FIG. 2 shows the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 shows the third embodiment. , FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment. 12, 22... Insulating housing, 13, 23...
... Contact, 15 ... Shorting member (shorting plate), 2
6...Switch contact, 16A...Switch contact, 25A...Short circuit member, 15C...
...Short circuit member, 26C...Switch contact.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] In an electrical connector in which a plurality of contacts are embedded in both of a pair of insulating housings that fit together, and the corresponding contacts are connected by fitting, the plurality of contacts are connected to the fitting of the insulating housing. The fitting peripheral surface is located radially inward from the peripheral surface, and the fitting peripheral surface is connected to the peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical shell of one insulating housing provided to surround the plurality of contacts, and the outer cylindrical shell. and a circumferential surface of the annular space of the other insulating housing formed to receive the switch, and one insulating housing is provided with a plurality of switch contacts in an open state at the position of the fitting circumferential surface, The other insulated housing is provided with a short-circuiting member in an annular space that contacts and short-circuits a predetermined switch contact when mated, and connects the plurality of switch contacts in the open state to the short-circuit member. An electrical connector having a switch mechanism, characterized in that the contacts of both insulating housings are provided at a position where the contacts come into contact after they are connected.