JPH0533475U - Multi-pole connector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] To improve the locking mechanism of the multi-pole connector so that the mating with the mating connector can be easily removed without the risk of bending the contacts. In a multipolar connector having locking mechanisms on both sides for locking fitting with a mating connector, the locking mechanism includes a lock spring 20 having an engaging portion that is engaged by a lock engaging portion of the mating connector, The button portion 30 is provided near the lock spring 20 and is normally pivotally displaced to the outward protruding position, and the lock and fitting release piece 40 linked to the button portion 30 is provided. The fitting release piece 40 first acts on the lock spring 20 to engage when the button portion 30 is pivoted inward against the pivotal shift force when the mating connector 40 is in the fitting locked state with the mating connector. The lock portion is disengaged from the lock engagement portion, and then the lock is released, and then the mating connector is acted on to disengage the mating connector to a position where the mating force is at least substantially zero.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a multi-pole connector, and more particularly to improvement of a lock mechanism thereof.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a multipolar connector in which a large number of contacts are arranged, which has a locking mechanism for locking the fitting with a mating connector on both sides thereof. This type of locking mechanism generally comprises a lock member having a pressing portion at one end, an engaging portion at the other end, and a fulcrum portion in the middle. The lock members are provided on both sides of the connector body, and the fitting portions of the locking members are always engaged with the fitting portions of the mating connector when mating with the mating connector. As described above, it is elastically deviated about the fulcrum portion and acts to lock the fitting. If you want to remove the mating from the mating connector, press the lock members on both sides of the connector, for example, between your thumb and forefinger to resist the elastic deviation force. While pressing, pull out from the mating connector. At this time, the engaging portion of the locking member is disengaged from the engaging portion of the mating connector and the lock is released, so that the mating connector can be pulled out.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the lock mechanism in the conventional multi-pole connector only locks or unlocks the mating with the mating connector, as described above. It does not work. Therefore, in the conventional multi-pole connector having the lock mechanism, there is still no change in the mating state with the mating connector when the pressing portion of the lock member is pressed. In such a completely mated state with the mating connector, since many contactors are in firm contact with each other, the total contact force is considerable, and a considerably large force is applied from the mating connector. You have to pull it out. In this case, it is difficult to pull the connector straight out, and the multipolar connector tends to incline with respect to the mating connector. There was a risk that he would bend.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multipolar connector which can solve the above-mentioned conventional problems.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In a multipolar connector that has a locking mechanism on both sides to lock the mating with the mating connector, The locking mechanism is A lock spring having an engagement portion that is engaged by the lock engagement portion of the mating connector; A button portion which is provided near the lock spring and which is normally pivotally displaced to the outer protruding position; It is provided with a lock and a mating release piece that are linked to the button section, The lock and the mating release piece are When it is in the mating lock state with the mating connector, When the button portion is pivoted inward against the pivotal displacement force, First, Acting on the lock spring to release the lock by releasing the engagement between the engagement portion and the lock engagement portion, Then Acting on the mating connector, It operates so as to remove the fitting until the mating force with the mating connector becomes at least substantially zero.

[0006]

【Example】

 Next, with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention will be described in more detail with respect to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cover portion of a multipolar connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cover portion 10 shown in FIG. 1 is one of the two divided portions of the cover of the multipolar connector, and the cover portion 10 is covered with the other two divided portions (not shown). By combining in this way, a complete cover is formed. The cover portion 10 has a plug unit accommodating recess 11 for accommodating a plug unit in which a large number of contacts are arranged, and a lock mechanism accommodating recess 12 for accommodating a lock mechanism as described later on both sides. Have.

In FIG. 1, for the sake of clarity, the lock mechanism provided in the lock mechanism housing recess 12 on the right side is omitted. An opening 13 for projecting a button portion, which will be described later, is provided above the outside of the lock mechanism accommodating recess 12, and a lock spring, which will be described later, is exposed below the lock mechanism accommodating recess 12. An opening 14 is provided so as to receive the locking portion of the mating connector. Furthermore, the inner wall 15 at the lower portion of the lock mechanism accommodating recess 12 is provided with a lock spring as will be described later and allows some elastic deviation of the lock spring inward, but limits further elastic deviation. It is shaped like this. Further, inside the lower part of the outer wall of the lock mechanism accommodating recess 12, there are formed a cam wall 16 having a function to be described later and a guide wall 17.

As shown on the left side of FIG. 1, the lock mechanism housed in each lock mechanism housing recess 12 is mainly a plate-shaped lock spring 20 formed of an elastic material, a button portion 30, and A lock and fitting release piece 40 linked to the button portion 30 and a coil spring 50 are provided. An engaging opening 21 is formed near the lower end of the lock spring 20 as an engaging portion to be engaged with the engaging portion of the mating connector.

Next, the detailed structure and operation of the lock mechanism in such a multipolar connector will be described with particular reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing in detail a right side locking mechanism portion in a state in which a multipolar connector configured by housing a plug unit in the cover portion 10 of FIG. 1 is fitted and locked to a mating connector. Is. Further, FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a combined state of the plug unit and the receptacle of the mating connector in the fitting locked state of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plug unit 60 is housed in the cover portion 10 to form a multipolar connector. On the other hand, locking parts 71 having locking projections 72 are provided on both sides of the mating connector 70. In this fitted state, the locking projections 72 of the respective locking parts 71 are engaged in the engagement openings 21 of the lock spring 20, and the fitting between the multipolar connector and the mating connector is locked. In this mating locked state, as shown in FIG. 3, the plug unit 60 and the receptacle 74 of the mating connector 70 are mated, and each contact 63 of the multipolar connector is in contact with its corresponding contact of the mating connector. The mating contact with the child 73 is tight.

As shown in FIG. 2, the button portion 30 of the lock mechanism housed in the lock mechanism housing recess 12 of the cover portion 10 has a pressing portion that can project outward from the opening 13 of the lock mechanism housing recess 12, as shown in FIG. The lower end portion 32 of the button portion 30 is attached to the cover portion 10 so as to be pivotable via a pivot 35 in the vicinity of the lock spring 20 attached along the inner wall 15. There is. A lock and disengagement piece 40 is linked to the lower end 32 of the button portion 30 at a position spaced inwardly from a pivot 35 so as to be pivotable via a pivot 36.

Each end of the coil spring 50 is inserted into the mounting hole 34 formed in the inner wall of the button portion 30 and the mounting hole 18 formed in the corresponding inner wall portion of the lock mechanism accommodating recess 12 so that the coil spring 50 is inserted. It is provided. The coil spring 50 works so that the button portion 30 is always displaced outwardly about the pivot axis so that the pressing portion 31 projects out of the opening 13. A stopper 33 is formed on the upper portion of the button portion 30. When the stopper 33 hits the inner surface of the projecting wall around the opening 13 of the cover portion 10, the button portion 30 is further deviated to the outside. It has been blocked.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lock and disengagement piece 40 includes a protrusion 41 for abutting against the lock spring 20 and elastically displacing the lock spring 20 inward, and a cam of the cover portion 10. It has a shape having a cam projection 42 that cooperates with the wall 16 and a contact surface 43 that can contact the top of the locking portion 71 of the mating connector 70. In the locked state shown in FIG. 2, the lock and disengagement piece 40 has its projection 41 just in contact with the lock bar 20 and its cam projection 42 just in contact with the cam wall 16. The contact surface 43 is separated from the top of the locking portion 71 by a predetermined distance.

Next, an operation for pulling out the multipolar connector from the mating connector 70 in the fitting locked state as shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The operator applies a pushing force in the direction indicated by reference numeral F in FIG. 2 by sandwiching the pressing portions 31 of the button portions 30 on both sides of the multipolar connector with the index finger and the index finger, for example. Then, the button portion 30 is rotated inward about the pivot 35 against the elastic deviation force of the coil spring 50. The initial stage of this rotation is shown in FIG. This FIG. 4 is a drawing similar to FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 4, at the time of this initial rotation of the button portion 30, it is linked to the lower end portion of the button portion 30 via a pivot 36. The lock and the mating release piece 40 are moved downward.

When the lock and disengagement piece 40 is moved downward in this manner, the cam wall 16 of the cover portion 10 and the cam projection 42 of the lock and disengagement piece 40 cooperate with each other. The lock and disengagement piece 40 can be slightly rotated inward about the pivot 36. Then, the projection 41 of the locking and fitting release piece 40 pushes the lock spring 20 inward, and the engagement opening 21 of the lock spring 20 is disengaged from the locking projection 72 of the locking portion 71 of the mating connector 70. Therefore, the fitting lock will be released first. FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the relationship between the receptacle 74 of the mating connector and the plug unit 60 of the multipolar connector in the state of FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. In the unlocked state only, the state is exactly the same as the state in FIG. 3, and the contactor 63 remains firmly in contact with the contactor 73.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the button portion 30 is further pressed inward from the state shown in FIG. This FIG. 6 is also a view similar to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. 6, the button portion 30 resists the elastic deviation force of the coil spring 50 and further inwardly around the pivot 35. The lock and fitting release piece 40 is further moved downward with this rotation. Such downward movement of the lock and fitting release piece 40 is guided between the guide wall 17 of the cover portion 10 and the lock spring 20 so that the contact surface 43 of the lock and fitting release piece 40 opposes. It is brought into contact with the top of the locking portion 71 of the connector 70, and a pressing force is applied to this top. At this time, if the mating connector 70 is fixed to a printed circuit board or the like of the device, the reaction force of the pressing force applied to the top of the locking portion 71 of the partner connector 70 causes the multipolar connector to move. The pulling force from the mating connector 70 is applied to the connector.

As a result, the multipolar connector can be pulled out from the mating connector 70 by a predetermined stroke. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the receptacle 74 of the mating connector 70 and the plug unit 60 of the multipolar connector at this time. This FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, and as shown in FIG. 7, the plug unit 60 is pulled out from the receptacle 74 by a predetermined stroke, and the contact 63 of the multipolar connector is It is completely pulled out from the contact 73 of the connector 70. In this way, at the above-mentioned predetermined stroke, the contact state between the contact of the multi-pole connector and the contact of the mating connector is substantially released, and the fitting force between the multi-pole connector and the mating connector becomes substantially zero. It is preferable to select

The operator can completely remove the fitting by pulling out the multipolar connector from the mating connector while the button portion 30 is sandwiched by fingers from the unfit state as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In this case, it is not necessary to apply a large pulling force. Thereafter, when the operator releases the button portion 30, each button portion 30 is returned to the original outward protruding position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 by the elastic deviation force of the coil spring 50.

[0020]

[Effect of the device]

 According to the lock mechanism of the multipolar connector of the present invention, when the lock is released, subsequent mating of the connectors is also canceled until the mating force becomes substantially zero. At this time, a large pull-out force is not required, and it is possible to eliminate the risk that the contactor is bent due to a twisting force or the like being applied to the contactor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cover portion of a multipolar connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing in detail a right locking mechanism portion in a state in which a multipolar connector having a plug unit housed in a cover portion of FIG. 1 is fitted and locked to a mating connector. .

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse cross-sectional view showing a combined state of the plug unit and the receptacle of the mating connector in the fitting locked state of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the unlocked state.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the unlocked state.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the mating release state.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the mating release state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 cover part 11 plug unit accommodating recess 12 lock mechanism accommodating recess 13 opening 14 opening 15 inner side wall 16 cam wall 17 guide wall 18 mounting hole 20 lock spring 21 engaging opening 30 button part 31 pressing part 33 fixing part 34 mounting hole 35 pivot 36 Axis 40 Lock and disengagement piece 41 Projection 42 Cam projection 43 43 Contact surface 50 Coil spring 60 Plug unit 63 Contact 70 mate connector 71 Locking part 72 Locking projection 73 Contact 74 Receptacle

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A multipolar connector having locking mechanisms on both sides for locking fitting with a mating connector, wherein the locking mechanism has a lock spring having an engaging portion that is engaged by a lock engaging portion of the mating connector. A button portion which is provided near the lock spring and which is normally pivotally biased to an outer protruding position; and a lock and a fitting release piece which are linked to the button portion. And the fitting release piece, when the button portion is pivoted inward against the pivotal displacement force when in the mating locked state with the mating connector, first acts on the lock spring to The engagement portion and the lock engaging portion are disengaged to release the lock, and then, the mating connector is acted on, and the mating force with the mating connector is at least substantially zero. Special Multi-pole connector to be considered. 2. The multipolar connector according to claim 1, wherein the button portion is pivotally biased to the outer protruding position by a coil spring provided between the button portion and the connector body.