JPH05114434A - Connector for transmitting electricity and light - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a plug having shock resistance, heat resistance, and low- costs by providing required moving components, delicate elements, and surfaces requiring precision on a vessel side, and constituting a plug side of components which have low-costs and are easy to assemble. CONSTITUTION: A hood protruding from a plug 14 is caused to be correctly positioned against a vessel 12, terminals 20, 18 are caused to be guided by terminal receiving channels 28, 26, and are simultaneously latched with the plug 14 after engagement. The plug 14 is partly assembled by a rigid armature before whole mold so as to be tested. After the whole mold, the plug 14 is made dust-resistant and shock-resistant, and the components of the plug 14 is intended to be low-cost and easy of assembly so as to be suitable for throwaway.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector for simultaneously connecting an electric wire and an optical wire.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many devices have been disclosed up to now for connecting not only an optical fiber but also a conductive wire with a single dual-purpose connector. However, since the conditions required to secure good conductivity and the conditions required to achieve good optical communication are different, it is a special problem to combine the functions of connecting two different things. Cause For example, in order to obtain good conductivity, it is generally preferable to engage the contact surfaces with a cleaning action to remove dust and oxides that may have accumulated. Once engaged, a corresponding force is required to maintain the electrical connection. On the other hand, when coupling two optical fibers, the end faces of each optical fiber must be accurately aligned in the axial direction. If it shifts laterally by just a few microns, or if the angle in the circumferential direction shifts by just a few minutes, the transmission efficiency of light energy will be significantly reduced. If both the conditions required for such electrical connection and the accuracy required for optical connection are satisfied at the same time, the connector becomes large, complicated, difficult to manufacture, and expensive. In particular,
This is especially true when making connectors for use under harsh conditions. In addition to this, even making such a connector is difficult to handle the problems that arise when using the connector in the opposite environment. The cost problems inherent in such conventional connectors are especially acute when used with expandable and / or disposable peripherals.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks peculiar to the conventional push-pull type electric / optical dual-purpose connector as described below. More particularly, the present invention provides a connector that is most suitable for connecting to extendable or disposable peripherals with permanent and expensive equipment, and also the conditions that the peripherals are subject to. It is an object to provide a connector that can be adapted. The most suitable example of using the connector according to the present invention is to electrically and optically connect with an analysis instrument,
It is a medical device that uses a probe that is used only once. Contamination not only makes it impossible to reuse the probe, it also requires sterilization of the probe before use. In addition to satisfying the economics of single-use, connectors must be robust and easy to use, because inadequate sterilization can result in the probe being misused by inexperienced humans. It must be possible.

The connector according to the present invention comprises a container / plug combination. In this combination, the cost is reduced and the durability against misuse is improved in the plug component that will be permanently connected to the peripheral device. The container has all the moving parts, relatively delicate elements, and precision surfaces required to ensure proper electrical and optical connections, while the plug is made of a relatively inexpensive material. It is made up of a few, easily assembled parts. Therefore, the plug can withstand high impact loads and high heat loads, is impervious to reinforcing materials, and can be produced at a minimum cost.

The plug component places a plurality of electrical and optical terminals on a predetermined projecting assembly for receiving in each receiving channel of the container. A hood surrounds the protruding terminal assembly. The hood extends beyond the ends of these protruding terminals to prevent accidental contact of the protruding terminals. In addition to protecting the terminals from damage, the hood is formed so that the inner surface of the hood engages the structure inside the container and guides each terminal toward the receiving orifice during this engagement. There is. The outer surface of the hood is formed so that the direction of rotation of the plug matches the direction of rotation of the container, and once the plug and container are fully engaged, the plug is latched in place within the container. Can also be formed.

Another feature of reducing the cost of plug components is the structure and assembly of the plug components. The armature is integrally formed with the hood by single molding. This armature makes it easy to initially position the terminals in a given direction, and
Orient the terminals so that they lock in place, hold firmly on the cable containing the electrical and optical conductors, guide each conductor to each terminal properly, and connect the electrical wires to each terminal. To facilitate and even before the assembly process is complete,
The function of the plug is fully tested. If it is found to be functional, i.e. once the identified fault is repaired, the entire armature should be entirely molded with an elastomer that will bond to the armature as well as the cable jacket. Good. The holes in the surface of the armature can facilitate the flow of the entire mold on the entire surface of the armature, while the ridges in the surface of the armature can promote a good mechanical bond between the armature and the entire mold. ..

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which refers to the drawings illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0008]

1 to 4 show a preferred embodiment of a connector according to the present invention. The connector uses a push-pull type container and plug combination to connect both electrical and optical conductors. FIG. 1 shows the container 12 and the plug 14 in an uncoupled state.
Generally, the container 12 is either fixed directly to an instrument (not shown) or connected to a cable leading to the instrument, while the plug 14 is attached to a peripheral device (not shown) such as a probe or sensor. Connected.

The plug 14 incorporates a cable 16
Has a plurality of optical and electrical conductors therein, and the end of the cable 16 connects to terminals 18, 20, or
It is operatively integrally formed. Some of the terminals 18 and 20 project from the inside of the plug 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the hood 22 extends around the outer periphery of each of the terminals 18, 20 and beyond each of the terminals 18, 20. The container 12 includes a terminal receiving mound 24 therein, and the terminal receiving mound 24 extends from the inside of the container body 25 toward the outside. The terminal receiving mound 24 has terminal receiving channels 26, 28 therein. The terminal receiving channels 26, 28 are formed so that the protruding portions of the terminals 18, 20 of the plug 14 can be received therein. Each channel 26, 28
Inside it is housed an optical terminal 29 and an electrical terminal 51 which can be functionally coupled to the corresponding optical and electrical terminals of the plug 14. A light guide wire 38 and an electrical lead wire 56 extend continuously from the terminals 29, 51 to the device associated with the container 12.

Each of the optical fiber terminals 18, 29 has a symmetrical cylindrical shape, and the optical fibers 37, 29 are arranged along the central axis thereof.
38 is supported. Each optical fiber 37, 38 extends to an optically flat surface 40, 42. This flat surface 4
0 and 42 are coincident with the end faces of the optical fiber terminals 18 and 29. A sleeve 45 extends from the optical fiber terminal 29. The sleeve 45 accommodates the end portion of the optical fiber terminal 18 inside, and once the two optical fiber terminals 1 are connected.
When 8 and 29 are close to each other, the relative movement of the two optical fiber terminals 18 and 29 in the axial direction is prevented. The function of the connector is to align the ends of the two connectors in each terminal with each other in the axial direction, and to align the end surface of each terminal with the optical surface of the optical fiber to keep them in firm contact with each other. Is.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state where the plug 14 and the container 12 are partially engaged with each other, and shows how the above-mentioned optical fiber terminals 18 and 29 are accommodated inside the connector according to the present invention. It is shown. Plug 14
Serves to securely hold the optical fiber terminal 18 to the lower protruding portion of the hood 22, while the container 12 serves to hold the optical fiber terminal 29 in the recess inside the terminal receiving channel 26. The fit of the inner diameter of the terminal receiving channel 26 and the outer diameter of the optical fiber terminal 18 at point 47 limits circumferential movement of the optical fiber terminal 29. Although the coil spring 41 biases the optical fiber terminal 29, the optical fiber terminal 29 can move freely in the axial direction toward the inlet of the terminal receiving channel 26.

Each of the electrical terminals 20, 51 comprises a strip 20, 52 of electrically conductive material. If the present connector is used to bond thermocouple wires, these strips 20, 52 must be constructed of the same material used for the thermocouple wires. This is because the use of different materials increases the thermocouple error. It is the function of the connector to perform a cleaning action to bring these two strips into contact with each other to remove any oxides and other contaminants that may have accumulated. Once in contact, considerable force is required to maintain the electrical connection.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which the plug 14 and the container 12 are partially engaged with each other.
1 shows how 1 is housed in the connector of the present invention. The plug 14 has the electric terminal 20 and the plug 1
4 plays a role of holding the projecting position inside the hood-covered part. The conductive wire 58 is bonded to the electric terminal 20 at a point 57 by a method such as soldering or welding. The terminal receiving channel 28 of the container 12 contains a strip 52 of electrically conductive material held within an insulating sleeve 53. The spring 54 biases the strip 52 toward one side of the insulating sleeve 53, which causes the strip 5 to move.
2 firmly contacts the electric terminal 20 during insertion. Conductive wire 56 is attached to strip 52 at point 55.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the plug 14 is partially assembled. The most important part in FIG. 4 is the armature 46. The armature 46 gives the plug 14 frame rigidity. The armature 46 extends forward from the hood 22. The armature 46 consists of a single molded part, a front wall 59 having terminal holes 60, 62, side walls 64, 66 extending rearwardly to form a narrow ribbed channel 72, a pair of lateral ribs 48, 50 ,. And a series of open channels 67, 68, 69, 70, 71. The open channels 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 extend from near the rib channels 72 to the lateral ribs 48, 50,
Each of the open channels is aligned with one of the terminal holes 60,62. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, annular regions 43 and 49 are formed outside the front wall 59 with the thickness of the walls being reduced around the terminal holes 60 and 62.

As can be seen, the hood 22 extends forward from the front wall 59. The inner wall of the hood 22 is formed so as to fit with the terminal receiving mound 24 of the container 12. On the other hand, a wedge-shaped latching mound 34 is formed on the outer wall of the hood 22, and the latching mound 34 has a sloping surface 35 having a gentle slope facing forward and a steep slope facing rearward. Sloped surface 36
And have. Further, as shown in FIG.
A groove 74 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the outer surface of 2.

The armature 46 not only imparts frame rigidity to the plug 14, but also facilitates assembly of various parts. In addition, the armature 46 provides sufficient structural stability to the plug 14 during assembly so that it can be fully tested before the final full molding process. The first step in assembling the plug 14 is to insert the electric terminal 20 into the electric terminal hole 62. Fitting the electrical terminals 20 into the holes 62 holds the electrical terminals 20 in place. Once inserted, the bar portion of conductor 58 contacts each electrical terminal 20 at point 57. This point 57 is a place where the electric terminal 20 is soldered or welded. The open structure of the armature 46 allows the welding terminals to hold each terminal blade 20 end to end.

The cable 16 supports the conductive wire 58 and the optical fiber 37 inside, and is fixed at a predetermined position inside the rib-shaped channel 72. Cable 1
Cable 1 with ribs engaging the outer jackets of 6
6 is held firmly in that position. The conductive wire 58 is then placed within the open channel 67, 71 extending from near the end of the sheathing of the cable 16 toward the electrical terminal 20 on the transverse rib 50. Similarly, an optical fiber attached to the optical fiber terminal 18 is placed inside each open channel 68, 69, 70 after the optical fiber terminal 18 has been pushed into the hole 60 and snapped on. Each fiber optic terminal 18 has an enlarged diameter portion 44 located between the lateral ribs 48,50.

The lateral ribs 48, 50 prevent axial movement of the optical fiber 18 while the orifice 6
2 The electric terminal 2 is provided by tightly fitting the electric terminal 20 inside.
The movement of 0 in the longitudinal direction is restricted. Therefore, in order to carry out a test without damaging the arrangement of the respective parts and, in turn, without damaging the plug 14 assembled in the middle, the plug 14 is inserted into the container 12 or the plug 14 is taken out from the container 12. You can If a failure is found, it can be easily repaired at that time.

The final assembly step is full molding of the plug 14. The partially assembled plug 14 is first inserted into the container. This container has protruding terminals 18,
It serves to hold 19 firmly in place. If necessary for proper axial alignment of each terminal with each receiving channel, the thinned regions 43, 49 around each terminal allow the terminals to be slightly circumferentially offset. By molding the entire assembly up to the front wall 59 with thermoplastic elastomer, the plug inserted is held firmly in place. The interior of the armature 46 is an open structure so that the molding material can reach all surfaces of the component inside the plug 14. The structure of the cable 16 inside the rib channel 72 is such that the elastomer does not flow in. The elastomeric material is selected so that it will bond to the armature as well as the cable jacket. In addition, the groove 75 in the armature 46 provides a good mechanical interlock between the armature 46 and the full molding once cooled. By performing all-mold molding, all parts can be firmly held in their positions, and the plug can be made impermeable to dust and durable against impact load. it can.

In use, all-molded plugs exhibit considerable resistance to damage. Since it is impermeable to any foreign matter, the plug is sterilizable and the hood 22 extending forward has terminals 18 and 2
It serves to protect the protruding end of 0 from damaging impacts. Due to the longitudinally extending groove 74, prior to inserting the plug 14 into the container 12, the plug 14
It is necessary to orient the direction of rotation of. If the direction of rotation is incorrect, the ridge 76 of the container 12 will cause the hood 2 to
2 and the plug 14 cannot be inserted into the container 12. When properly oriented, the groove 74 prevents the hood 22 from interfering with the ridge 76. In this particular embodiment, the combination of the groove 74 and the ridge 76 allows the container 12 and the plug 14 to form 18
It is possible to prevent coupling in the opposite direction of 0 degree. Once properly oriented, the inner surface of the hood 22 is allowed to engage the perimeter of the terminal receiving mounds 24, and as the plug 14 is pushed into the container 12, each terminal 18, 20 is reseated. It is arranged to be guided in the direction of the terminal receiving channels 26, 28.
Eventually, the terminal 18 slips into the sleeve 45 and the terminal 2
9 and as the plug 14 is fully inserted,
The coil spring 41 is compressed. The electric terminal 20 slides below the electric contact 52, and the spring 54
Sufficient force is applied between the contact surfaces by the compression by. Once fully inserted, latch mound 3
4 is snapped into place inside the void 32. Since the inclined surface 35 of the latch mound 34 facing the front is less inclined than the inclined surface 36 facing the rear, the plug 14
When latching the plug 14 to the container 12, less force is required than when the plug 14 is removed from the container 12.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector container and a connector plug according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partially assembled connector plug according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 container 14 plug 16 cable 18 optical fiber terminal 20 electric terminal 22 hood 24 terminal receiving mound 25 container body 26 terminal receiving channel 28 terminal receiving channel 29 optical terminal 32 void 34 latch mound 35 inclined surface 36 inclined surface 37 optical fiber 38 optical fiber 40 flat Surface 42 Flat surface 43 Annular area 44 Enlarged diameter portion 45 Sleeve 46 Armature 48 Lateral rib 49 Annular area 50 Lateral rib 51 Electrical terminal 52 Strip 53 Insulating sleeve 54 Spring 56 Conductive wire 58 Conductive wire 59 Front wall 60 Terminal hole 62 Terminal Holes 64 Side Walls 66 Side Walls 67 Open Channels 68 Open Channels 69 Open Channels 70 Open Channels 71 Open Channels 72 Rib Channels 5 groove 76 ridge

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— In Inventor Leslie M. Bosak 90720 Los Alamitos Kensington Road

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A push-pull type connector for simultaneously connecting a conductive wire and a light guide wire, which is provided with a container (12), and the container (12) comprises a first set of the conductive wire and the light guide wire (56, 38). ) With a first set of electrical and optical terminals (51,29) operatively associated therewith,
The container (12) has a receiving channel (28,26) therein.
The receiving channel (26, 28) extends from the outer surface of the container (12) to the terminals (51, 29), the container (12) further having the receiving channel (26) therein. (28,26) forming a groove surrounding the receiving channel (28,26) and forming a tip wall and a terminal wall, the plug (14) comprising a second set. A second set of electrical terminals and optical terminals (20,18) operatively coupled to the conductive and optical lines (58,37) of Protruding from the optical terminals (20,18), the protruding terminals (20,18) being formed to be able to be received inside the receiving channels (28,26) of the container (12), (14) further comprises a hood (22), which extends from the plug (14) and surrounds the protruding terminals (20, 18), It extends beyond the output terminals (20, 18), and further, the container (12)
Is formed to be received in the groove of
The hood (22) is configured to be tightly received around the end wall of the container (12).
(22) has an outer surface (74), the outer surface (74),
The hood (22) is formed so that it can be received in the groove only when the plug (14) forms a predetermined rotation angle with respect to the container (12). (74) is the terminal (20, 18) of the plug (14)
Is formed so as to be in latch engagement with the tip wall when being inserted into the receiving channel (28, 26) of the container (12) and to come into contact with the terminals (51, 29) of the container (12). A connector characterized by having. 2. A push-pull type combined connector for simultaneously connecting a conductive wire and an optical wire, comprising a plug (14), wherein the plug (14) comprises a first set of the conductive wire and the optical wire (58,37). ) Operatively coupled to the electrical and optical terminals (20, 18) therein and protruding from the electrical and optical terminals (20, 18), the connector further comprising a container ( 12) and the container (1
2) has therein electrical and optical terminals (51, 29) operatively coupled to the second set of conductive and optical lines (56, 38), wherein the container (12) is A receiving channel (28, 26) for receiving the protruding portion of the terminal (20, 18) of the plug (14) is formed therein,
(12) to allow contact with the terminals (51, 29), the container (12) further having the receiving channel therein.
Forming a deep groove surrounding (28,26) to form a tip wall and an end wall to said receiving channel (28,26), said plug (14) further comprising a hood (22) , The hood (22) extends from the plug (14), and the protruding terminal (20,
18), extends beyond the protruding terminals (20, 18), and is formed to be received in the groove of the container (12), the hood (22) being the container.
The hood (22) has an outer surface (74) configured to be tightly received around the end wall of (12), the outer surface (74) including the plug (14). ) Is the container
The hood (22) is formed so that it can be received in the groove only when it forms a predetermined rotation angle with respect to (12), and further, the outer surface (74) includes the plug ( 14) the terminals (20, 18) are the terminals of the container (12)
A connector, which is formed so as to latch-engage with the tip wall when it comes into contact with (51, 29). 3. The container (12) has a convex segment (76) extending from the tip wall, the outer surface of the hood (22) of the plug (14) having a groove () therein. 74) and the hood (22) avoids the convex segment (76) of the container (12) when inserting the hood (22) into the groove (74) of the container (12). The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector is capable of being 4. The hood of the plug (14), wherein the container (12) has a void (32) formed in its tip wall.
(22) is formed of a material having a slight elasticity,
A convex mound (34) is formed on the outer surface of the hood (22), and the convex mound (34) has the plug (14) sufficiently inserted into the container (12). A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed and arranged to snap into the void (32) in the tip wall of the container (12) when in the position. 5. The convex mound (34) has a surface (3) facing forward.
5) and a surface (36) facing rearward, the frontward facing surface (35) being looser than the angle formed by the rearward facing surface (36) with the outer surface of the hood (22). Connector according to claim 4, characterized in that it is provided at an angle on the outer surface of the hood (22). 6. The conductive wire and the optical wire (58, 37) supported inside the sheathed cable (16) are simultaneously coupled to a container (12) having an electric terminal and an optical terminal (51, 29) therein. The dual-purpose connector plug (14) is provided with a single-piece, substantially rigid molded product (46) which facilitates the assembly of the plug (14) and finally The molded part (46), which is to be incorporated into the plug (14), has a perforated front wall (5
9), and the molded product (46) further holds the end portion of the covering material of the cable (16) so that it can come into contact with and separate from each other, and a conductive wire and an optical wire ( (58,37) is formed so that it can guide the front wall (59) toward the front wall (59), and is electrically attached to the conductive wire and the optical wire (58,37). Terminal (20,
A connector plug characterized in that 18) is removably arranged and is projected through the hole of the front wall (59). 7. A covering material for the cable (16), the conductive wires and optical wires (58, 37), and the electric terminals and optical terminals (2).
(0,18) is placed inside the rigid molded product (4
7. The connector plug according to claim 6, which is provided with an all-molded product that substantially wraps 6) inside.