JPH06135399A - Connector for space - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable plural contact points to be put in connection by installing easily a position setting mechanism on a hand holding portion, so that a holding posture may be decided uniquely, furthermore providing mechanisms for absorbing a shift of position and an error of rotation on a connector and a receptacle. CONSTITUTION:Flanges 3a and 3b are provided on both ends of the hand holding portion 1 of a connector and a projection 4 is formed on the hand holding portion 1. And a receptacle 6 has a taperguide 7 and a notch 8 is provided in one part of an external circumferential part. By the composition mentioned above, when the connector is inserted into the receptacle, the connector slides into the receptacle along the taperguide 7 and a projection 5, provided on the connector so as to align a shaft, rotates and slides in along the notch 8 mentioned above. Thus, a holding posture of the connector by a robot can be decided uniquely and, furthermore, any shift of position and an error of rotation is absorbed during the insertion. And, when the connector is attached or detached a hand comes into contact with flanges 3a and 3b of the hand holding portion 1, so it may not be pulled off from the connector.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a space connector structure for improving the fastening reliability of a connector installed for attaching and detaching a cable for transmitting and receiving signals to and from a structure when working in outer space. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a spacecraft system represented by a space station, the following various services are received in orbit by a space robot, a spacecraft manipulator, or, rarely, an astronaut. That is, the inspection of the spacecraft system
Services such as maintenance, refueling, replenishment / recovery of raw materials / products, replacement of on-board equipment / jigs and tools are expected.

Since these services are dangerous for an astronaut to manually perform due to extravehicular activities, remote operation or autonomous operation in which a space robot recognizes the motion state of an object by itself and works is basically used. Become. Therefore, a structure suitable for performing remote operation or autonomous operation is indispensable for the device receiving the above service.

In the conventional attachment / detachment mechanism of space equipment, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-26482, there are many types in which the relative positioning of the attachment / detachment portion is performed by a plurality of guide bars and insertion holes. In addition, the latch mechanism of the detachable part,
The torque pin incorporated in the manipulator is used to rotate and latch the latch pin. In addition, ultraviolet rays that have strong connections such as metal pieces that send and receive signals,
As a device that does not deteriorate by being directly exposed to atomic oxygen,
Connection structure A as described in JP-A-4-78700
There is seen a structure in which the cam provided in the connecting structure B is moved by the projection provided at the center of the shutter to open and close the shutter provided on the front surface of the connecting portion.

[0005]

Since the conventional space connector is constructed as described above, when the robot attaches and detaches the connector by remote control from the ground or from the spacecraft, there are many cases as described below. It is necessary to solve the problem. That is, in the case of positioning by the guide bar, the gap between the guide bar and the insertion hole becomes a factor of relative displacement of the connector, and since it is necessary to provide these positioning structures on the outer peripheral side of the connector, there is a drawback that the device becomes large. .

2: There is a risk of the robot hand slipping off at the connector grip. When the hand releases the connector, it is necessary to securely connect the connector and the receptacle so that the connector does not come off the receptacle and float, but since the latch mechanism for this is operated by the external drive mechanism, The size of the device increases due to the provision of a transmission mechanism.

3: When a large number of pins provided on the receptacle are inserted into the contacts of the connector, the friction force between the pins is overcome and the pins are inserted into the contacts, so that a large torque is generated in the actuator of the robot hand. There is a need.

4: To operate repeatedly in vacuum,
The coefficient of friction increases rapidly at the parts where relative sliding occurs, and reliability that prevents malfunctions is required.

5: When exposed to outer space, the joint between the pin and the contact is deteriorated by ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen existing in outer space. Therefore, a structure for preventing deterioration is required on both sides of the connector and the receptacle. However, the conventional structure has a problem that it is provided on only one side.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a misalignment adjusting function for a connector and a receptacle, a passive latch mechanism for a connector,
To provide a space connector that has a pin and contact coupling mechanism at low torque, a protection mechanism for the pin and contact coupling part, etc., and is compact and has high fastening reliability even when a robot hand with insufficient positioning accuracy is used. With the goal.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the connector is inserted into the receptacle by the robot hand, the connector and the receptacle can be inserted by a mechanism for absorbing the positional displacement and the rotation error in the plane and the hand gripping portion. , The purpose is to obtain a structure in which the hand does not come off from the connector.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, when the hand of the robot is holding the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached, and when the hand of the robot releases the connector, the surface of the insertion portion of the receptacle is exposed. An object of the present invention is to obtain a structure in which the connector and the receptacle are engaged with each other by the protruding latch and the connector is not disengaged even if a pulling force acts on the cable.

According to the invention of claim 4, the connector can be inserted only by pushing it in the direction of the receptacle with the hand of the robot. When the connector is pushed to a predetermined position, the latch is automatically inserted into the latch groove to engage the connector with the receptacle. The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a structure in which the connector does not come off even if a pulling force is applied to the cable, and the latch is released from the latch groove when the robot hand is pressed in the direction of the anti-receptacle to release the connector from the receptacle.

It is an object of the invention of claim 5 to obtain a structure for reducing the pushing force when inserting the connector into the receptacle and reducing the actuator torque required for the robot hand.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure in which relative sliding does not occur in the support portion of the movable body supported in a rotatable state and the rotational resistance of the movable body does not fluctuate with repeated use. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the connector and the receptacle are protected when they are separated, the respective covers are opened when the connector is inserted into the receptacle, and the respective covers are closed when the connector is separated from the receptacle. The purpose is to obtain the structure.

[0017]

A space connector according to claim 1 of the present invention has flanges at both ends of a hand grip, and a protrusion is provided between the flange of the connector so that the hand grips the grip. It is configured to uniquely determine the attitude of the connector with respect to the hand when grasped, the connector is provided with an axis alignment guide, and the receptacle has a tip portion of a portion to be fitted with the connector larger than the fitting portion, Further, a groove for axis alignment is added.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a space connector having flanges at both ends of a hand grip, and a switch for detecting contact with a hand is provided at a part of the hand grip.
A latch with a movable part is provided in part of the hand grip, and when contact with the hand is detected by the switch, the latch is displaced in the radial direction of the plug and separated from the latch groove provided in the receptacle, and there is no contact with the hand. In some cases, the latch is projected from the connector.

In the space connector according to the third aspect of the present invention, the hand gripping portion is provided with a plurality of force detecting portions, the hand gripping portion supports the latch via the movable portion, and the hand grips the hand gripping portion. When this is detected, the movable part is operated to displace the latch to the plug side, the latch is disengaged from the latch groove provided on the receptacle, and if there is no contact with the hand, the latch is projected from the connector. It is a thing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the space connector, a flange is provided on the receptacle side of the hand grip portion,
A flange is provided on the anti-receptacle side of the plug supported by the hand grip through the elastic body, and a contact for contacting the movable arm supported by the hand grip is provided on the plug. It is configured to give displacement to the movable part that supports the latch, and the latch has a shape in which the amount of protrusion from the connector increases as it goes from the receptacle side to the anti-receptacle side, and the anti-receptacle side end surface of the latch is provided on the receptacle. The contact surface with the latch groove is formed.

In the space connector according to claim 5 of the present invention, a movable body having a contact for contacting a connector pin provided on a receptacle and conducting a signal is spring-supported on the connector, and a hand holds a hand gripping portion. It is designed such that the movable body is displaced upon detection of gripping, so that the contact point and the connector pin are contacted / separated.

In the space connector according to claim 6 of the present invention, the rotating shaft for rotatably supporting the movable portion and the member for supporting the rotating shaft are directly connected by the elastic body, and relative sliding occurs at the supporting portion of the movable body. It is repeated so that the rotational resistance of the movable body does not change with use.

A space connector according to a seventh aspect of the present invention forms a cover to which a pulling force is applied by a pull-back cable via a spring in a form that the connector is housed in a guide provided in the connector and the receptacle, and the connector is attached to the receptacle. When engaged, the connector and the connector are configured to open the connector pin and the contact portion by displacing the cover by a protrusion provided at a position facing the mutual cover of the receptacle and the connector.

[0024]

In the space connector according to claim 1 of the present invention, since the gripping portion is provided with the positioning mechanism, the gripping posture of the connector can be uniquely determined when gripping by the robot, and the connector and the receptacle are in-plane. Since the mechanism for absorbing the positional deviation and the rotation error is integrally provided, the plurality of contacts provided on the connector and the receptacle can be easily connected with a compact structure.

In the space connector according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, a latch engagement mechanism for releasing the hand of the robot when holding the connector is provided at the connecting portion between the connector and the receptacle, and the latch is not released. Since the connector and the connector cannot be separated from the receptacle,
Even if an external force such as tension is applied to the cable acts on the connector, it is possible to prevent an unexpected situation in which the connector comes off the receptacle.

The space connector according to claim 4 of the present invention can be inserted by merely pushing the connector in the direction of the receptacle by the hand of the robot, the latch is engaged, and the connector does not come off even if a pulling force acts on the cable, and When the robot hand is pressed in the direction of the anti-receptacle, the latch is released from the latch groove and the connector can be detached from the receptacle. Therefore, the reliability of the engagement can be confirmed by checking the latched state when the connector is inserted into the receptacle.

In the space connector according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the contact is closed after the connector and the receptacle are engaged, there is no sliding between the contact of the connector and the receptacle when the connector is inserted. It is possible to reduce the insertion resistance of the robot hand, reduce the actuator torque of the robot hand, and prevent sliding damage between the contacts.

In the space connector according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since relative sliding does not occur at the supporting portion of the movable body supported in a rotatable state, the rotational resistance of the movable body does not change with repeated use, A structure with high operational reliability can be obtained.

In the space connector according to claim 7 of the present invention, the contacts of the connector and the receptacle are both covered with the cover until the connector is inserted into the receptacle, and when the connector is separated from the receptacle, the respective covers are separated. Since it is closed, it is possible to prevent the contact from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen existing in outer space.

[0030]

【Example】

Example 1. An embodiment of claim 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a space connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a connector, and FIG. 1 (b) is a receptacle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a combined state. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the automatic correction function of the axis deviation.

The external structure of the connector is composed of a hand grip portion 1 and an insertion portion 2 into the receptacle. 3a, 3b
Are flanges provided at both ends of the hand grip 1 and 4 are protrusions provided on the hand grip 1. The insertion portion 2 into the receptacle is also provided with an axis-aligning projection 5. Receptacle 6
Has a taper guide 7 so that the diameter becomes maximum at the tip portion, and a notch 8 is provided at a part of the outer peripheral portion. The notch 8 is tapered at the outer peripheral end of the receptacle with the maximum opening width and the bottom width. Reference numeral 9 is a cable drawing hole, and 10 is a receptacle flange. Also, 11a
˜c are hands, and 12a and 12b are connector pins.

The operation when the robot hand having a plurality of fingers connects the connector to another receptacle will be described with reference to FIG. Robot hand (not shown) 1
The robot hand is closed until 1 approaches the hand grip 1 and contacts the hand grip 1 and the protrusion 4 with a predetermined contact force. At this time, the position of the connector in the hand coordinate system and the direction of the protrusion 4 can be calculated from the angle of the finger of the hand. In this state, pull out the connector from the receptacle. When the hand gripping portion 1 and the hand 11 slide relative to each other when the connector is attached and detached, the hand comes into contact with the flanges 3 provided at both ends of the hand gripping portion 1 so as not to come off from the connector.

Next, insertion of the connector into the receptacle will be described. The receptacle 6 is provided with a notch 8 in a part of its outer circumference. Usually, a robot measures the position of an object with a visual sensor (not shown). That is, the positions of the receptacle 6 and the notch 8 are known to the robot by the visual sensor. Then, the robot aligns the central axis of the connector with the central axis of the receptacle 6, and brings the connector close to the receptacle 6 so that the axis-aligning projection 5 of the connector faces the notch 8 of the receptacle 6.
At this time, the connector cannot face the receptacle without error due to a measurement error of the visual sensor, a positioning error of the robot hand, an attitude error of the hand and the connector, and the like. However, since the receptacle 6 has the taper guide 7 so that the diameter becomes maximum at the tip portion, the connector slides along the taper guide 7 to the center of the receptacle, as shown in FIG. As described above, since the connector axis-alignment projection 5 faces the notch 8 in the receptacle, the axis-alignment projection 5 is inserted into the receptacle when the connector is inserted into the receptacle.
It rotates and slides along. As a result, the connector can be inserted into the receptacle within the manufacturing error of the connector and the receptacle.

In the space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the gripping portion is provided with the positioning mechanism,
The gripping posture of the connector can be uniquely determined when gripped by the robot, and the connector and the receptacle are equipped with a mechanism that absorbs in-plane misalignment and rotation errors, so the connector and receptacle are compact in structure. The plurality of contacts provided can be easily connected. Further, when the hand gripping portion 1 and the hand slip relative to each other when the connector is attached or detached, the hand is provided with flanges 3 provided at both ends of the hand gripping portion 1.
It comes in contact with the connector and cannot be removed from the connector.

Example 2. An embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows claim 2 of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the space connector according to the embodiment of FIG. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions.

The rotary arm 13 is rotatably supported by a part of the hand grip 1 and is pressed against the hand grip 1 by a spring 14. A latch 15 is provided on the rotary arm 13, and the latch 15 projects from a hole provided in the hand grip 1 and is inserted into a latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle 6. Further, the rotary arm 13 is provided with a grip detection unit 17, and this grip detection unit 17 is projected from a hole provided in the hand grip unit 1 and brought into contact with a contact plate 18 provided in the hand grip unit 1. Reference numeral 19 is a spring that supports the contact plate.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the robot hand 11 grips the hand grip, the contact plate 1
8 is displaced, and the grip detection unit 17 recedes in the radial direction. Therefore, the latch 15 also retracts in the radial direction. In this state, insert the connector into the receptacle. When the connector is inserted into the receptacle and then the hand 11 is opened, the displacement of the contact plate 18 is recovered, the latch projects in the radial direction, enters the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle, and completes the coupling.

In the space connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the space connector has a latch which detects that the hand of the robot grips the hand gripping portion of the connector and displaces from the surface of the insertion portion of the receptacle into the inside of the connector. Therefore, when the robot hand holds the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached, and when the robot hand releases the connector, the connector protruding from the surface of the insertion part of the receptacle engages the connector with the receptacle. The structure is such that the connector does not come off even if a pulling force is applied to the cable.

Example 3. An embodiment of claim 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows claim 3 of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the space connector according to the embodiment of FIG. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. 5 is different from FIG. 4 in the following points. That is, instead of providing the grip detection unit 17 on the rotary arm 13, a force detection element 20 for detecting contact with the contact plate 18 is provided.
Is provided. Then, a combination of the contact plate 18 and the force detection element 20 is installed at a plurality of positions on the hand grip of the connector. Reference numeral 21 denotes an actuator that displaces the latch 15 in the radial direction of the connector, which operates when the detection element 20 detects contact with the contact plate 18. Reference numeral 14 is a spring that supports the latch 15.

When a cylindrical hand is gripped by the robot hand, the contact point between the hand and the connector is maximum (number of finger joints × number of fingers) except for the palm of the hand. In a space robot, it is important to give the hand many functions by minimizing the degree of freedom of the hand. Therefore, there is at most one knuckle, and considering the case of being sandwiched by two fingers, the hand and the connector make contact at least at three points.
Therefore, when the number of contact plates is one, in order to ensure contact between the contact plates 18 and the hand 11, it is necessary to prepare the position / posture of the hands so as to contact the contact plates 18 in advance. is there. When the number of the contact plates is one, it is possible to operate the latch by detecting the movement of the contact plate 18 by the rotary arm 13 as in the embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention shown in FIG. Is. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When a plurality of contact plates are provided, the force detection element 20 allows the contact plates 18
The contact is detected, and the latch is operated by the actuator when any of the force detection elements operates. As a result, even if the hand grips the connector at an arbitrary position, the hand comes into contact with the contact plate, so that the operability of the robot can be controlled with the highest priority. That is, in the embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention, since the position of the contact plate 18 for operating the rotating arm 13 on the connector is fixed, the contact plate 1
It was necessary for the hand 11 to grasp the hand grasping portion 1 so that the 8 operates. On the other hand, since the connector of the third embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, there is an advantage that the margin of the gripping angle of the hand is large and the operability is improved.

Example 4. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a space connector according to the first embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. A flange 2 is provided on the receptacle side of the hand grip portion 1, and the hand grip portion 1 supports a plug 23 in a slidable state via an elastic body 22. A rotating arm 13 is rotatably attached to the hand grip 1. The rotating arm 13 presses the latch 15 against the hand grip 1 with a spring 14. A flange 24 is provided on the side of the plug 23 opposite to the receptacle. The plug 23 is provided with a slider 25 for displacing the rotary arm 13. A guide 26, which comes into contact with the slider 25, is provided on the rotary arm 13 in a concave shape with respect to the slider 25. Further, the latch has a shape in which the amount of protrusion from the connector increases from the receptacle side to the anti-receptacle side, and the anti-receptacle side end surface of the latch has a contact surface 27 with the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle. .

The operation when the hand 11 of the robot grips the hand grip 1 and inserts the connector will be described. The operation relating to the positioning when the connector is inserted into the receptacle is the same as that of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. When the connector comes into a predetermined relative relationship with the receptacle and starts to be inserted, the latch 15 comes into contact with the taper guide 7 of the receptacle, and the reaction force thereof causes
The latch 15 retracts from the surface of the receptacle insertion portion 2 of the connector while rotating the rotary arm 13 against the force of the spring 14. Then, when the connector is inserted to a position where the latch 15 faces the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle, the latch 15 is inserted into the latch groove 16 by the force of the spring 14, and the engagement between the connector and the receptacle is completed. When the force for pulling the connector out of the receptacle in this state acts on the cable or the like, the contact surface 27 of the latch 15 comes into contact with the latch groove 16 and prevents the connector from being separated from the receptacle.

Next, the operation of separating the connector from the receptacle will be described. The hand 11 of the robot is lightly contacted with the hand grip 1 and then the hand 11 is moved in the anti-receptacle direction to bring the flange 24 provided on the plug 23 into contact with the hand 11 and resist the force of the elastic body 22 to push the plug 23. Move in the direction of the anti-receptacle. Slider 25 provided on the plug 23 by moving the plug 23
However, the slipping rotary arm 13 is moved to the spring 14 relative to the rotary arm 13.
The latch 15 protruding from the outer surface of the connector is displaced inside the connector to disengage the connector from the receptacle.

Since the first embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention is configured as described above, the connector can be inserted only by pushing the connector toward the receptacle with the hand of the robot. When the connector is pushed to a predetermined position of the receptacle, the latch automatically inserts into the latch groove to engage the connector with the receptacle, and the connector is not detached even if a pulling force acts on the cable. Further, in this state, even if the connector is pulled in the anti-receptacle direction by the hand of the robot, the connector does not come off because the latch remains in contact with the latch groove on the contact surface 27, so that the engagement between the connector and the receptacle can be confirmed. .

Further, in the first embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention, the rotary arm 13 is rotatably supported by the hand grip portion 1, but as shown in FIG. 7 as the second embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention. In addition, it is apparent that the same effect can be obtained by the method of supporting the latch 15 by the movable body 28.

Example 5. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a space connector according to a first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of this embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. The contact surface 29 is attached to the latch 15 formed on the rotating arm 13.
Is provided and is in contact with the link 30 rotatably supported by the hand grip 1. Link 30
The spring 31 presses against the contact surface 29 of the latch 15. The link 30 is provided with a contact 32 that comes into contact with the connector pin 12 provided on the receptacle and conducts a signal. 33 is a cable and 34 is a link 3
It is a support hole for rotatably supporting 0. The other structure is the same as that of the second embodiment.

Next, the operation will be described. When the hand 11 of the robot grips the hand grip portion 1, the contact plate 18 is displaced and the rotary arm 13 rotates. As a result, the latch 15 is displaced against the spring force of the spring 14. When the latch 15 is displaced against the spring force of the spring 14, the contact surface 29 comes into contact with the link 30 and transmits the rotational force to the link 30. Link 3
The rotation of 0 also displaces the contact 32. When the connector is inserted into the receptacle in this state, the connector pin 12 provided on the receptacle is inserted to a position facing the contact 32. Complete the insertion of the connector into the receptacle,
Then, when the hand 11 is released, the displacement of the contact plate 18 is recovered, the latch projects in the radial direction, enters the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle, and completes the coupling. Latch 1 at the same time
The link 30 whose rotational displacement is restricted by the contact surface 29 of 5 is displaced by the spring force of the spring 31, and the contact 32 comes into contact with the connector pin 12.

In the space connector having the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention, it is detected that the hand of the robot grips the hand grip portion of the connector, and the displacement from the surface of the insertion portion of the receptacle to the inside of the connector. Has a latch to
Due to this displacement of the latch, the contact of the connector is separated from the contact position with the connector pin provided on the receptacle. Therefore, when the robot hand is gripping the connector, the connector pin and the contact do not come into contact, so the connector can be inserted into the receptacle without contact resistance between the connector pin and the contact, and when the robot hand releases the connector The pin contacts the contact. Therefore, the connector can be inserted into the receptacle with a small pushing force, and since there is no relative slip between the connector pin and the contact, the contact reliability of the contact surface does not deteriorate.

Even if the latch 15 is not provided with the contact surface 29 and the latch 15 and the link 30 are connected by a pin or the like, the same function can be obtained. However, in this case, the displacement of the latch and the displacement of the contact are uniquely determined, and when the connector pin is tilted and attached to the receptacle, the contact is displaced to a predetermined position, so an excessive load is applied to the connector pin. There is a danger of acting on.

In the first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention,
Although the structure for displacing the contact is added to the structure of the embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention, the same effect can be obtained even if the structure for displacing the contact is added to the other embodiment having the latch.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a link structure according to a second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention. In the second embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, the contact 32 has a shape close to a hemisphere, and when a force is applied from the contact surface 29 of the latch 15 by the link 30a, the link 30 is supported. It rotates around the hole 34 and displaces the contact 32 downward in the drawing via the spring 35.

Since the second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention is configured as described above, the contact 32 comes into contact with the connector pin 12 in the axial direction. Therefore, the connector pin 12
, The contact force with the contact 32 acts as an axial force. In the second embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 and the first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, a bending load acts on the connector pin due to contact with the contact. However, there was a risk that the connector pins would bend. However, in the second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, since only the axial force acts on the connector pin, there is no danger of the connector pin bending.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 10,
The movable arm 13, the contact plate 18, and the link 30 are rotatably supported,
Spring forces are applied by springs 14, 19 and 31, respectively. In this structure, relative rotation with the support portion occurs at the rotating portion. If relative slip occurs in a vacuum, the coefficient of friction increases and there is a risk of sticking at the slip. A structure for solving this problem will be described below by taking the rotating arm 13 as an example.

Example 6. An embodiment of claim 6 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a top view of the support portion of the rotary arm 13 of the space connector according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. The rotary arm 13 is rotatably attached to a spring support base 37 attached to the hand grip 1 via a spring 36. Therefore, when a rotational force is applied to the rotating arm 13, the deformation of the spring 36 causes the rotating arm 13 to rotate.
Is rotationally displaced.

Since the sixth embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, the rotary arm 13 can follow the displacement of the contact plate 18 and rotate without slipping relative to the hand grip 1. . Although the rotating arm 13 has been described as an example in the embodiment of claim 6 of the present invention, it is clear that the same effect can be obtained even if it is applied to the contact plate 18, the link 30 and the like.

Example 7. An embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 12 is a sectional view of the receptacle according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a receptacle according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of a connector according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions.

A connector guide 51 is formed on a part of the outer periphery of the receptacle 6, a guide hole 52 is provided inside, and a holding base 53 for fixing the connector pin 12 is fixed from the flange 10 side of the guide hole 52. On the upper surface of the receptacle 6, a cover guide 5 having a width corresponding to the connector guide 51 is provided.
4 is forming. A cover 55 is openably and closably attached to the connector guide 51 and the cover guide 54.
The cover 55 is composed of a plurality of members 55a,
Pins 56 are rotatably secured between 5a. One side of the cover 55 is provided with a surface that comes into contact with the projection of the connector, and the pullback rope 58 is attached to the other side. The pullback rope 58 is fixed to the flange 10 via a spring 59. Reference numeral 57 is a pulley that supports the rope 58. Reference numeral 60 denotes a protrusion provided in a part of the guide hole 52, which displaces the cover of the connector when the connector is engaged with the receptacle. On the other hand, a portion of the connector that engages with the receptacle has a double structure, and 61 is an outer peripheral portion, and an insertion hole 62 is provided so that the receptacle 6 can be smoothly inserted.
A taper guide 7 is provided in the. Reference numeral 63 denotes a protrusion provided in a part of the insertion hole 62 so as to face the connector guide 51, and displaces the cover 55 of the receptacle when the connector is engaged with the receptacle. Insertion hole 62
A socket 64 that engages with the guide hole 52 of the receptacle 6 is provided inside, and a cover guide 65 is formed in the socket 64 so as to face the protrusion 60 with a width corresponding to the protrusion 60, and the cover guide 65 has a cover 66. Is attached so that it can be opened and closed. The structure and support structure of the cover 66 is the same as that of the cover 55 of the receptacle.

Next, the operation will be described. When the hand 11 of the robot grips the hand grip 1 of the connector to bring the connector closer to the receptacle and to start the engagement, the projection 63 of the connector contacts the cover 55 of the receptacle, and the cover 55 resists the force of the spring 59. And the guide hole 52 is opened. When the connector is further brought closer to the receptacle, the projection 60 of the receptacle comes into contact with the cover 66 of the connector, and the cover 66 is displaced toward the flange 3 side against the force of the spring (not shown) to open the cover. When the connector is detached from the receptacle, conversely to the above procedure, when the connector begins to separate from the receptacle, the projection 60 of the receptacle and the projection 63 of the connector relatively retract, and the covers 55 and 66 are opened by their respective spring forces. Displaces in the direction to close the part.

According to the embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention, since it is configured as described above, when the connector and the receptacle start to engage with each other, the receptacle and the socket cover are sequentially opened, and the connector is separated from the receptacle. The cover closes when you start. For this reason, the connector pins and contacts should be connected when the connector and receptacle are separated.
Since neither is exposed to outer space, it is possible to prevent the contact from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays or atomic oxygen existing in outer space.

[0060]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gripping portion and the connector and the receptacle are integrally provided with a mechanism for absorbing in-plane positional displacement and rotation error. With such a structure, it is possible to easily connect a plurality of contacts provided on the connector and the receptacle. Further, when the hand grip portion 1 and the hand slide relative to each other when the connector is attached and detached, the hand comes into contact with the flanges 3 provided at both ends of the hand grip portion 1 so that the hand does not come off from the connector and the grip reliability can be improved. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the robot hand is holding the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached, and when the robot hand releases the connector, the receptacle is inserted. There is an effect that the connector and the receptacle are engaged with each other by the latch projecting on the surface of the portion, and the connector is not detached even if a pulling force acts on the cable.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of contact plates are provided, the latch is operated by the actuator when any of the force detecting elements operates.
Even if the hand grips the connector at an arbitrary position, the hand contacts the contact plate. Therefore, the operability of the robot can be controlled with the highest priority, so that the margin of the gripping angle of the hand is increased and the operability is improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the connector can be inserted only by pushing it in the direction of the receptacle by the hand of the robot, and when the connector is pushed to a predetermined position of the receptacle, the latch automatically moves into the latch groove. There is an effect that the connector is not disengaged even if a pulling force acts on the cable by inserting the connector and engaging the connector with the receptacle.
Furthermore, in this state, even if the connector is pulled in the anti-receptacle direction by the hand of the robot, the latch remains in contact with the latch groove at the contact surface 27, so that the connector cannot be removed, so that the engagement between the connector and the receptacle can be confirmed. There is.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the hand of the robot is holding the connector, the connector pin and the contact point do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, the connector is held in the receptacle without contact resistance between the connector pin and the contact point. The connector pin contacts the contact when the robot hand releases the connector, so the connector can be inserted into the receptacle with a small pushing force, and there is no relative slip between the connector pin and the contact, so the contact reliability of the contact surface is high. It has the effect of not lowering.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the rotary shaft for rotatably supporting the movable portion and the member for supporting the rotary shaft are directly connected by the elastic body, the relative sliding at the supporting portion of the movable body. Does not occur, the rotational resistance of the movable body does not fluctuate with repeated use, and there is an effect of improving the reliability of the rotary support portion.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the connector pin and the contact are not exposed to the outer space when the connector and the receptacle are separated, the ultraviolet rays and the atoms existing in the outer space are not present. There is an effect that it is possible to prevent the contact from being deteriorated by the gaseous oxygen.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a space connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connected state of the connector and the receptacle of the space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an automatic correction function of the axis deviation between the connector and the receptacle of the space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a space connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a space connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a space connector according to the first embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a space connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of a first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a link structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the support portion of the rotating arm of the space connector according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a receptacle according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a receptacle according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of a connector according to an embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hand Grip 2 Insertion into Receptacle 3 Flange 4 Protrusion 5 Axis-Aligning Protrusion 6 Receptacle 7 Tapered Guide 8 Notch 9 Cable Drawing Hole 10 Receptacle Flange 11 Hand 12 Connector Pin 13 Rotating Arm 14 Spring 15 Latch 16 Latch Groove 17 Grip detection unit 18 Contact plate 19 Spring 20 Force detection element 21 Actuator 22 Elastic body 23 Plug 24 Flange 25 Slider 26 Guide 27 Contact surface 28 Movable body 29 Contact surface 30 Link 31 Spring 32 Contact point 33 Cable 34 Support hole 35 Spring 36 Spring 37 Necessary support 51 Connector guide 52 Guide hole 53 Holding base 54 Cover guide 55 Cover 56 Pin 57 Pulley 58 Pullback cable 59 Spring 60 Protrusion 61 Outer peripheral portion 62 Insertion hole 63 Protrusion 64 Socket 65 Bar guide 66 cover

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 4, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Detailed explanation of the invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a space connector for improving the fastening reliability between a connector installed to attach and detach a cable for transmitting and receiving a signal when working in outer space to a structure and a receptacle . It is about structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a spacecraft system represented by a space station, the following various services are received in orbit by a space robot, a spacecraft manipulator, or, rarely, an astronaut. That is, the inspection of the spacecraft system
Services such as maintenance, refueling, replenishment / recovery of raw materials / products, replacement of on-board equipment / tools, etc. are expected.

Since these services are dangerous for an astronaut to manually perform due to extravehicular activities, remote operation or autonomous operation in which a space robot recognizes the motion state of an object by itself and works is basically used. Become. Therefore, a structure suitable for performing remote operation or autonomous operation is indispensable for the device receiving the above service.

In the conventional attachment / detachment mechanism of space equipment, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-26482, there are many types in which the relative positioning of the attachment / detachment portion is performed by a plurality of guide bars and insertion holes. In addition, the latch mechanism of the detachable part,
The torque pin incorporated in the manipulator is used to rotate and latch the latch pin. In addition, ultraviolet rays that have strong connections such as metal pieces that send and receive signals,
As a device that does not deteriorate by being directly exposed to atomic oxygen,
Connection structure A as described in JP-A-4-78700
There is seen a structure in which the cam provided in the connecting structure B is moved by the projection provided at the center of the shutter to open and close the shutter provided on the front surface of the connecting portion.

[0005]

The conventional space connector is constructed as described above . Robot remote control from the ground or the spacecraft, the you attach and detach the connector by autonomous operation, not be said sufficient structure, further suitable
The structure was desired. For example, specifically, it is necessary to solve many problems as described below. That is, 1:
In the positioning by the guide bar, the gap between the guide bar and the insertion hole becomes a factor for the relative displacement of the connector, and since it is necessary to provide these positioning structures on the outer peripheral side of the connector, there is a drawback that the device becomes large in size.

2: There is a risk of the robot hand slipping off at the connector grip . In addition, it is necessary to securely connect the connector and the receptacle so that the connector does not come off from the receptacle and float when the hand releases the connector for changing the handle. Since the latch mechanism for this is operated by the external drive mechanism, the size of the device is increased by providing a transmission mechanism.

3: When a large number of pins provided on the receptacle are inserted into the contacts of the connector, the friction force between the pins is overcome and the pins are inserted into the contacts, so that a large torque is generated in the actuator of the robot hand. There is a need.

4: To operate repeatedly in vacuum,
There is a danger that the coefficient of friction will increase sharply in the area where relative sliding occurs.
It It is necessary to have reliability that does not cause a malfunction in repeated operations .

5: When exposed to outer space, the joint between the pin and the contact is deteriorated by ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen existing in outer space. Therefore, a structure for preventing deterioration is required on both sides of the connector and the receptacle. However, the conventional structure has a problem that it is provided on only one side.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. For example , a misalignment adjusting function of a connector and a receptacle, a passive latching mechanism of a connector, a coupling mechanism of a pin and a contact at low torque, It is an object of the present invention to provide a space connector that is compact and has high fastening reliability even if a robot hand having a pin / contact joint protection mechanism and the like and positioning accuracy is insufficient.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the connector is inserted into the receptacle by the robot hand, the connector and the receptacle are displaced in plane ( in the plane perpendicular to the insertion axis) and the shape.
The purpose is to obtain a structure in which the hand does not come off from the connector even when the mechanism for inserting while absorbing the force error and the hand gripping part.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, when the hand of the robot is holding the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached, and when the hand of the robot releases the connector, the surface of the insertion portion of the receptacle is exposed. An object of the present invention is to obtain a structure in which the connector and the receptacle are engaged with each other by the protruding latch and the connector is not disengaged even if a pulling force acts on the cable.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the present invention, Risepu simply pushing the connector by the robot hand in the receptacle direction
It can be inserted into the tuckle , and when it is pushed to a predetermined position, the latch automatically inserts into the latch groove and engages the connector and the receptacle, and the connector does not come off even if pulling force acts on the cable, and the robot's An object of the present invention is to obtain a structure in which when a hand is pressed in the direction of the anti-receptacle, the latch is released from the latch groove and the connector can be detached from the receptacle.

It is an object of the invention of claim 5 to obtain a structure for reducing the pushing force when inserting the connector into the receptacle and reducing the actuator torque required for the robot hand.

[0015] The invention of claim 6 is intended in support of the supported movable body in a rotatable state without rise to relative sliding, to obtain the structure rotational resistance of the movable member does not vary with respect to repeated use .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the connector and the receptacle are protected when they are separated, the respective covers are opened when the connector is inserted into the receptacle, and the respective covers are closed when the connector is separated from the receptacle. The purpose is to obtain the structure.

[0017]

Space connector according to claim 1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, a flange is provided at both ends of the hand grip portion of the connector, the hand between the flange and the flange is
The abutment projections provided, with the hand is configured such orientation relative to the connector hand when gripping the grip portion is determined uniquely, the connector provided for axial alignment guides to, the receptacle mating with the connector portion Make the tip of the shaft larger than the fitting part, and engage with the axis alignment guide.
It has a groove for matching axes.

A space connector according to a second aspect of the present invention is a switch which is provided in a hand grip portion of the connector and detects contact with a hand, and one end of which is rotatable to the hand grip portion.
Latch attached to the other end of the receptacle
Provided movable arm having a latch that engages the groove, when the switch detects the contact between <br/> hand in conjunction with the movable arm to displace said <br/> latch to the connector center direction, the latch Separate from the groove, and if there is no contact with the hand, make the latch protrude from the connector and engage with the latch groove.
It was done.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a space connector, wherein a hand grip portion of the connector has a plurality of force detecting portions, and
The movable part inside the connector, and the movable part supported by this movable part.
And a latch that is driven in the radial direction of the connector and that engages with a latch groove provided in the receptacle.
In one even without the upper detects that the hand has lifting bunch
Serial and the movable portion is operated to release the engagement between the latch and the latch groove, if there is no contact between the hand was to engage with the latch groove to protrude from the connector the latch <br/> It is a thing.

In the space connector according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a flange is attached to the receptacle side of the hand grip of the connector , one end is rotatably attached to the hand grip, and the other end is attached.
Parts to engage with the latch groove provided in the receptacle, a shape protruding amount from the connector as it goes from the receptacle side in the counter-receptacle side increases, latch counter-receptacle-side end face to form a contact surface with the latch groove May have
An elastic body is attached to the moving arm and the end of the connector inner side receptacle side.
Is supported via the connector body on the side opposite the receptacle.
Than the flange and the slide formed on the movable arm.
A plug having a moving part and a slider for sliding is provided, and the plug
As the lug is displaced in the anti-receptacle direction, the movable arm is displaced so that the engagement between the latch and the latch groove is released.
In addition, the above-mentioned sliding portion and slider are configured .

[0021] Space connector according to claim 5 of the present invention is in contact with the connector pins provided on the receptacle, the connector present a movable member having a contact point for electrically connecting the signal
The movable body is supported by a body via a spring, and when the hand grips the hand gripping portion, the movable body is displaced and the connector is connected.
Connector into or out of the receptacle.
It is designed so that the nectar pins do not come into contact with each other.

[0022] Space connector according to claim 6 of the present invention includes a rotary shaft for rotatably supporting the movable portion or the movable arm, is directly connected between the member for supporting the rotary shaft of an elastic body, the movable portion or
Relative slip is not generated at the supporting portion of the movable arm, in which the rotational resistance of the movable body is not to vary with respect to a repeat to use.

In the space connector according to claim 7 of the present invention, a pulling force is applied to each of the connector and the receptacle by a pullback rope, and the connector pin or the contact portion is exposed.
When covering the covers that cover the openings, the guides that store the covers, and the connector when engaging the connectors with the receptacles.
Displace the opposing covers and place them in the guide.
It is provided with a protrusion for receiving and opening the above-mentioned opening .

[0024]

In the space connector according to claim 1 of the present invention,
Since the gripping part is equipped with a positioning mechanism consisting of protrusions, the gripping posture of the connector can be uniquely determined when gripping by the robot, and the connector and the receptacle are integrated with a mechanism for absorbing in-plane positional deviation and posture error. Since it is provided with, that is, an axis alignment guide, an axis alignment groove,
Mating the tip of the part that mates with the connector of the receptacle
Since it is formed larger than the portion, it is possible to easily connect a plurality of contacts provided on the connector and the receptacle with a compact structure.

In the space connector according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, a latch engagement mechanism for releasing the robot hand when the hand is gripping the connector is provided at the connecting portion between the connector and the receptacle, and the latch is not released. Since the connector cannot be separated from the receptacle, even if an external force such as tension is applied to the cable acts on the connector, it is possible to prevent an unexpected situation in which the connector is detached from the receptacle.

In the space connector according to claim 4 of the present invention, the latch is provided from the receptacle side to the anti-receptacle side.
The shape that increases the amount of protrusion from the connector
Since forming a contact surface the receptacle side, takes the latch can insert just pushing the connector by the robot hand in the receptacle direction, the connector can not come off even act tensile force to the cable, and the hand of the robot Is pressed in the direction of the anti-receptacle and the flange of the plug, the plug is displaced in the anti-receptacle direction,
The slider slides on the sliding part of the movable arm and the latch
Displacement in the direction allows the latch to release from the latch groove and disengage the connector from the receptacle. For this reason,
The reliability of the engagement can be confirmed by checking the latched state when the connector is inserted into the receptacle.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a space connector contacts a movable body supported by a connector body via a spring.
Set a point and detect that the hand is gripping the
The contact is closed after the connector and the receptacle are engaged, so there is no sliding between the connector and the contact of the receptacle when the connector is inserted, so the insertion resistance of the connector can be reduced and the robot hand The actuator torque can be reduced and sliding damage between contacts can be prevented.

In the space connector according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since relative slip does not occur at the movable portion or the supporting portion of the movable arm supported in a rotatable state, the movable portion or the movable arm rotates when repeatedly used. A structure in which the resistance does not fluctuate and operation reliability is high can be obtained.

In the space connector according to claim 7 of the present invention, the contacts of the connector and the receptacle are both covered with a cover until the connector is inserted into the receptacle, and when the connector is separated from the receptacle, the respective covers are separated. Since it is closed, it is possible to prevent the contact from being deteriorated by ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen existing in outer space.

[0030]

EXAMPLES Example 1. An embodiment of claim 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a space connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a connector and FIG. 1 (b) is a receptacle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a combined state. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the automatic correction function of the axis deviation.

The external structure of the connector is composed of a hand grip portion 1 and an insertion portion 2 into the receptacle. 3a, 3b
Are flanges provided at both ends of the hand grip 1 and 4 are protrusions provided on the hand grip 1. The insertion portion 2 into the receptacle is also provided with an axis-aligning protrusion 5 which is an axis-aligning guide . The receptacle 6 has a taper guide 7 so that the diameter is maximized at the tip end, and is axially aligned with a part of the outer peripheral portion.
There is a notch 8 which is a groove for bending. The notch 8 is tapered at the outer peripheral end of the receptacle with the maximum opening width and the bottom width. Reference numeral 9 is a cable drawing hole, and 10 is a receptacle flange. Also, 11a , 11b,
11 c is a hand, 12a, 12 b are connector pins.

The operation when the robot hand having a plurality of fingers connects the connector to another receptacle will be described with reference to FIG. Robot Han De (not shown) approaches the <br/> hand grip portion first hand grip portion 1 with a predetermined contact force
The robot hand is closed until it touches the protrusion 4. At this time, the position of the connector in the hand coordinate system and the direction of the protrusion 4 can be calculated from the angle of the finger of the hand. In this state, pull out the connector from the receptacle. During connectors removably, hand when the hand grip portion 1 and Han De have slipped relatively flange 3 provided at both ends of the hand grip portion 1
It has a structure that contacts with a and 3b and does not come off from the connector.

Next, insertion of the connector into the receptacle will be described. The receptacle 6 is provided with a notch 8 in a part of its outer circumference. Usually, a robot measures the position of an object with a visual sensor (not shown). That is, the positions of the receptacle 6 and the notch 8 are known to the robot by the visual sensor. Then, the robot aligns the central axis of the connector with the central axis of the receptacle 6, and brings the connector close to the receptacle 6 so that the axis-aligning projection 5 of the connector faces the notch 8 of the receptacle 6.
At this time, the connector cannot face the receptacle without error due to a measurement error of the visual sensor, a positioning error of the robot hand, an attitude error of the hand and the connector, and the like. However, since the receptacle 6 has the taper guide 7 so that the diameter becomes maximum at the tip portion, the connector slides along the taper guide 7 to the center of the receptacle, as shown in FIG. As described above, since the connector axis-alignment projection 5 faces the notch 8 in the receptacle, the axis-alignment projection 5 is inserted into the receptacle when the connector is inserted into the receptacle.
It rotates and slides along. As a result, the connector can be inserted into the receptacle within the manufacturing error of the connector and the receptacle.

In the space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the protrusion is provided on the grip portion as an alignment mechanism , the grip posture of the connector can be uniquely determined when gripping by the robot, and the connector can be uniquely determined. Since the receptacle is integrally provided with a mechanism for absorbing in-plane positional displacement and posture error, that is, the receptacle 6 has the largest diameter at the tip.
Taper guide 7 so that
The notch 8 is provided in the lug projection 5 and the receptacle 6.
Since it has a compact structure, a plurality of contacts provided on the connector and the receptacle can be easily connected. Further, when the hand gripping portion 1 and the hand slide relative to each other when the connector is attached and detached, the hand comes into contact with the flanges 3 provided at both ends of the hand gripping portion 1 so as not to come off from the connector.

Example 2. An embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a space connector according to an embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions.

The rotating arm 13, which is a movable arm, is rotatably supported by a part of the hand grip 1 and is pressed against the hand grip 1 by a spring 14. A latch 15 is provided on the rotary arm 13, and the latch 15 projects from a hole provided in the hand grip 1 and is inserted into a latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle 6. Further, the rotary arm 13 provided with a grip detection unit 17, a bunch lifting detection unit 17 of this protruding from the hole provided in the hand grip portion 1, and is contacted with the contact plate 18 provided on the hand grip portion 1. Reference numeral 19 is a spring that supports the contact plate. Grip
The detection unit 17, the contact plate 18, and the spring 19 constitute a switch.
ing.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG. When Han de robot grips the hand grip portion 1, the contact plate 18
Is displaced, and the grip detection unit 17 recedes in the radial direction. Therefore, the latch 15 also retracts in the radial direction (direction toward the center of the connector) . In this state, the connector is inserted into the receptacle 6 . Insert the connector into the receptacle 6, then Han de
When opening the displacement of the contact plate 18 is restored and the latch 15
Latch groove 1 provided in the receptacle by protruding in the radial direction
6 is entered and the connection is completed.

In the space connector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the space connector has a latch which detects that the hand of the robot grips the hand gripping portion of the connector and displaces from the surface of the insertion portion of the receptacle to the inside of the connector. Therefore, when the robot hand holds the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached, and when the robot hand releases the connector, the connector protruding from the surface of the insertion part of the receptacle engages the connector with the receptacle. The structure is such that the connector does not come off even if a pulling force is applied to the cable.

Example 3. Hereinafter, an embodiment of claim 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a space connector according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. 5 is different from FIG. 4 in the following points. That is, instead of providing the grip detection unit 17 on the rotary arm 13, a force detection element 20 for detecting contact with the contact plate 18 is provided.
Is provided. Then, the contact plate 18 that constitutes the force detection unit
A plurality of combinations of the force detecting element 20 and the force detecting element 20 are installed in the hand grip portion of the connector. Reference numeral 21 denotes an actuator that displaces the latch 15 in the radial direction of the connector, which operates when the detection element 20 detects contact with the contact plate 18. 14
Is a spring that supports the latch 15. The moving part is the spring 14
And an actuator 21.

When a cylindrical hand is gripped by the robot hand, the contact point between the hand and the connector is maximum (number of finger joints × number of fingers) except for the palm of the hand. In a space robot, it is important to give the hand many functions by minimizing the degree of freedom of the hand. Therefore, there is at most one knuckle, and considering the case of being sandwiched by two fingers, the hand and the connector make contact at least at three points.
Therefore, when the number of contact plates is one, in order to ensure contact between the contact plates 18 and the hand 11, it is necessary to prepare the position / posture of the hands so as to contact the contact plates 18 in advance. is there. Further, when the number of the contact plates is one, it is possible to operate the latch by detecting the movement of the contact plate 18 by the rotating arm 13 as in the embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention shown in FIG. Is. On the other hand, if a plurality of contact plates 18 are provided as shown in FIG.
The contact with 8 is detected, and the latch 15 is operated by the actuator 21 when any of the force detection elements 20 operates. As a result, even if the hand grips the connector at an arbitrary position, the hand comes into contact with the contact plate 18, and thus the operability of the robot can be controlled with the highest priority. That is, in the embodiment of claim 2 of the present invention, since the position of the contact plate 18 for operating the rotating arm 13 on the connector is fixed, the hand 11 holds the hand grip 1 so that the contact plate 18 operates. Had to do. In contrast, the connector of the embodiment of the present onset <br/> Ming claim 3 since the configuration as described above, tolerance of the gripping angle of the hand is made large, there is an advantage that operability is improved .

Example 4. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a space connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. A flange 3b is provided on the receptacle side of the hand grip 1 and the hand grip 1 supports the plug 23 in a slidable state via an elastic body 22. A rotating arm 13 is rotatably attached to the hand grip 1. The rotating arm 13 presses the latch 15 against the hand grip 1 with a spring 14. A flange 24 is provided on the side of the plug 23 opposite to the receptacle. The plug 23 forms a slider 25 for providing a displacement in the rotation arm 13. The rotating arm 13 has a guide 26 of a sliding portion that comes into contact with the slider 25.
Are provided in a concave shape with respect to the slider 25.
Further, the latch 15 has a shape in which the amount of protrusion from the connector increases from the receptacle side to the anti-receptacle side, and the end surface of the latch 15 on the anti-receptacle side has a contact surface 27 with the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle. ing.

The operation when the hand 11 of the robot grips the hand grip 1 and inserts the connector will be described. The operation relating to the positioning when the connector is inserted into the receptacle 6 is the same as that of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. When the connector comes into a predetermined relative relationship with the receptacle and starts to be inserted, the latch 15 comes into contact with the taper guide 7 of the receptacle, and the reaction force thereof causes
The latch 15 retracts from the surface of the receptacle insertion portion 2 of the connector while rotating the rotary arm 13 against the force of the spring 14. Then, when the connector is inserted to a position where the latch 15 faces the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle, the latch 15 is inserted into the latch groove 16 by the force of the spring 14, and the engagement between the connector and the receptacle is completed. When the force for pulling the connector out of the receptacle in this state acts on the cable or the like, the contact surface 27 of the latch 15 comes into contact with the latch groove 16 and prevents the connector from being separated from the receptacle.

Next, the operation of separating the connector from the receptacle 6 will be described. Robot hand 11
Lightly contact the hand grip 1 and then the hand 11
Is moved in the anti-receptacle direction, the flange 24 provided on the plug 23 is brought into contact with the hand 11, and the plug 23 is moved in the anti-receptacle direction against the force of the elastic body 22.
Slider 25 provided on the plug 23 by moving the plug 23
The spring 14 but slip relative to the rotating Utateude 13, the rotating arm 13
The latch 15 protruding from the outer surface of the connector is displaced inside the connector to disengage the connector from the receptacle.

[0044] Since the thus constituted in the first embodiment according to claim 4 of the present invention, can be inserted by simply pushing the connector by the robot hand in the receptacle direction. When the connector is pushed to a predetermined position of the receptacle, the latch is automatically inserted into the latch groove to engage the connector with the receptacle, and the connector is not detached even if a pulling force acts on the cable. Further, in this state, even if the connector is pulled in the anti-receptacle direction by the hand of the robot, the connector does not come off because the latch remains in contact with the latch groove on the contact surface 27, so that the engagement between the connector and the receptacle can be confirmed. .

Further, in the first embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention, the rotary arm 13 is rotatably supported by the hand grip portion 1, but FIG.
As a second embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention,
Obviously, the same effect can be obtained by the method of supporting the latch 15 by the movable body 28.

Example 5. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a space connector according to a first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an essential part of this embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. The abutting surface 29 provided on the latch 15 formed on the rotating arm 13, supported in a rotatable state to the hand grip portion 1 movable
The structure is such that it contacts the link 30, which is the body . The link 30 is pressed against the contact surface 29 of the latch 15 by a spring 31. A contact 3 for contacting the connector pin 12 provided on the receptacle and conducting a signal to the link 30.
2 is attached. 33 is a cable, 34
Is a support hole for rotatably supporting the link 30. The other structure is the same as that of the second embodiment.

Next, the operation will be described. Contact plate 18 is displaced with Ha <br/> down de robot grips the hand grip portion 1, the rotation arm 13 rotates. As a result, the latch 15 is displaced against the spring force of the spring 14. Latch 15 is spring 1
When the contact surface 29 is displaced against the spring force of 4,
It comes into contact with 0 and transmits a rotational force to the link 30. Link 30
The contact 32 is also displaced by the rotation of. When the connector is inserted into the receptacle in this state, the connector pin 12 provided on the receptacle is inserted to a position facing the contact 32. When the insertion of the connector into the receptacle is completed and then the hand 11 is opened, the displacement of the contact plate 18 is recovered, the latch projects in the radial direction, and enters the latch groove 16 provided in the receptacle to complete the coupling. Latch 15 at the same time
The link 3 whose rotational displacement was restricted by the contact surface 29 of the
0 is displaced by the spring force of the spring 31, and the contact 32 comes into contact with the connector pin 12.

In the space connector having the structure of the first embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is detected that the hand of the robot grips the hand grip of the connector, and the displacement from the surface of the insertion part of the receptacle to the inside of the connector. The contact of the connector is separated from the contact position with the connector pin provided on the receptacle by the displacement of the latch. Therefore, when the robot hand is gripping the connector, the connector pin and the contact do not come into contact, so the connector can be inserted into the receptacle without contact resistance between the connector pin and the contact, and when the robot hand releases the connector The pin contacts the contact. Therefore, the connector can be inserted into the receptacle with a small pushing force, and since there is no relative slip between the connector pin and the contact, the contact reliability of the contact surface does not deteriorate.

Even if the latch 15 is not provided with the contact surface 29 and the latch 15 and the link 30 are connected by a pin or the like, the same function can be obtained. However, in this case, the displacement of the latch and the displacement of the contact are uniquely determined, and when the connector pin is tilted and attached to the receptacle, the contact is displaced to a predetermined position, so an excessive load is applied to the connector pin. There is a danger of acting on.

[0050] In the first embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention has been to add a structure for displacing the contact point in the structure of the embodiment of claim 2 of the present <br/> invention, other embodiments having a latch Even if a structure for displacing the contact is added, the same effect can be obtained.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the link structure of the second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention. In the second embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, the contact 32 has a shape close to a hemisphere, and when a force is applied from the contact surface 29 of the latch 15 by a of the link 30, the link 30 is supported. It rotates around the hole 34 and displaces the contact 32 downward in the drawing via the spring 35.

In the second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the contact 32 has the connector pin 1 because it is constructed as described above.
2. Contact from the axial direction. Therefore, the contact force with the contact 32 acts on the connector pin 12 as an axial force. In the second embodiment of claim 4 of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 and the first embodiment of claim 5 of the present invention shown in FIG. 8, the connector pin is contacted by the contact with the contact. There was a risk of bending the connector pins due to the bending load. However, in the second embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, since only the axial force acts on the connector pin, there is no danger of the connector pin bending.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 10,
The movable arm 13, the contact plate 18, and the link 30 are rotatably supported,
Spring forces are applied by springs 14, 19 and 31, respectively. In this structure, relative rotation with the support portion occurs at the rotating portion. If relative slip occurs in a vacuum, the coefficient of friction increases and there is a risk of sticking at the slip. A structure for solving this problem will be described below by taking the rotating arm 13 as an example.

Example 6. An embodiment of claim 6 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a top view of the supporting portion of the rotary arm 13 of the space connector according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions. The rotary arm 13 is rotatably attached to a spring support base 37 attached to the hand grip 1 via a spring 36. Therefore, when a rotational force acts on the rotary arm 13, the rotary arm 13 is rotationally displaced by the deformation of the spring 36.

Since the sixth embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, the rotating arm 13 can rotate following the displacement of the contact plate 18 without slipping relative to the hand grip 1. . Although the rotating arm 13 has been described as an example in the embodiment of claim 6 of the present invention, it is apparent that the same effect can be obtained even when applied to the contact plate 18, the link 30, and the like.

Example 7. An embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 12 is a sectional view of a receptacle according to an embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the receptacle according to an embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of a connector according to an embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in the other embodiments indicate the same or corresponding portions.

A connector guide 51 is formed on a part of the outer periphery of the receptacle 6, a guide hole 52 is provided inside, and a connector pin 12 is held on the flange 10 side of the guide hole 52.
The holding table 53 is fixed. A cover guide 54 having a width corresponding to the connector guide 51 is formed on the upper surface of the receptacle 6. A cover 55 is openably and closably attached to the connector guide 51 and the cover guide 54. The cover 55 is composed of a plurality of members 55a, and the members 55a are rotatably fastened with pins 56. One side of the cover 55 is provided with a surface that comes into contact with the projection of the connector, and the pullback rope 58 is attached to the other side. The pullback rope 58 is fixed to the flange 10 via a spring 59. Reference numeral 57 is a pulley that supports the rope 58. 60
Is a projection provided in a part of the guide hole 52, and displaces the connector cover when the connector is engaged with the receptacle. On the other hand, a portion of the connector that engages with the receptacle has a double structure, and 61 is an outer peripheral portion, and a taper guide 7 is provided in the insertion hole 62 so that the receptacle 6 can be smoothly inserted. 63 is a projection provided to face the connector guide 51 to a portion of the insertion hole 62, that have a function for displacing the cover 55 of the receptacle when engaging the connector to the receptacle.
Inside the insertion hole 62, a socket 64 that engages with the guide hole 52 of the receptacle 6 is provided.
The cover guide 6 is made to face the protrusion 60 with a width corresponding to 0.
5, a cover 66 is attached to the cover guide 65 so as to be openable and closable. The structure and support structure of the cover 66 is the same as that of the cover 55 of the receptacle.

Next, the operation will be described. When the hand 11 of the robot grips the hand grip 1 of the connector to bring the connector closer to the receptacle and to start the engagement, the projection 63 of the connector contacts the cover 55 of the receptacle, and the cover 55 resists the force of the spring 59. And the guide hole 52 is opened. When the connector is further brought closer to the receptacle, the protrusion 60 of the receptacle comes into contact with the connector cover 66, and the cover 66 is displaced toward the flange 3 side against the force of the spring (not shown) to open the cover. Speak When the connector is detached from the receptacle, conversely to the above procedure, when the connector begins to separate from the receptacle, the projection 60 of the receptacle and the projection 63 of the connector relatively retract, and the covers 55 and 66 are opened by their respective spring forces. Displaces in the direction to close the part.

In the embodiment of claim 7 of the present invention, since it is configured as described above, when the connector and the receptacle start to engage with each other, the receptacle and the connector, that is , the cover of the socket, are sequentially opened, and the connector is opened. The cover closes when you start moving away from the receptacle. For this reason, the connector pins and contacts are not exposed to outer space when the connector and the receptacle are separated, so prevent the contacts from deteriorating due to ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen existing in outer space. You can

[0060]

According to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, connector
There are flanges on both ends of the hand grip, and this flange
Protrusion that the hand abuts between the flange and the flange,
A guide for axis alignment is provided at the insertion part into the septum,
The connector's hand when the terminal grips the grip.
It is configured so that the attitude to it is uniquely determined,
A shaft that engages with the above-mentioned guide for axis alignment in the above-mentioned receptacle
A part that has a groove for mating and that fits with the above connector
The tip end of is larger than the fitting part , and the positioning mechanism in the gripping part and the in-plane displacement of the connector and the receptacle,
Since the mechanism for absorbing the attitude error is integrally provided, there is an effect that a plurality of contacts provided on the connector and the receptacle can be easily connected with a compact structure. Further, when the hand grip portion 1 and the hand slide relative to each other when the connector is attached and detached, the hand comes into contact with the flanges 3 provided at both ends of the hand grip portion 1 so that the hand does not come off from the connector and the grip reliability can be improved. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the connection
It is provided on the hand grip of the computer and detects contact with the hand.
Switch, one end is rotatably attached to the hand grip
To the latch groove provided on the receptacle on the other end.
A movable arm having a latch that engages is provided, and the switch is
When contact with the hand is detected,
Displace the latch toward the center of the connector and
Separate from the groove and lift the latch if there is no contact with the hand.
So that it protrudes from the connector and engages with the latch groove.
Therefore , when the robot hand is gripping the connector, the connector and the receptacle can be freely attached and detached.When the robot hand releases the connector, the latch protruding from the surface of the insertion part of the receptacle causes the connector and the receptacle to separate. Even if the cable is engaged and a tensile force is applied to the cable, the connector is not removed.

According to the invention of claim 3 of the present invention, the connection
Multiple force detectors in the hand grip of the
The movable part and the diameter of the connector supported by this movable part.
Latch driven in the direction of the arrow and mounted on the receptacle
A latch that engages with the groove is provided to reduce the force detection unit.
If only the hand is grasped, the above movement
Release the engagement between the above latch and the latch groove
If there is no contact with the hand, connect the above latch.
It was made to project from the connector so that it would engage with the above-mentioned latch groove.
In, hand in hand also gripping the connector at an arbitrary position in contact with one of the force detection unit, it is Rukoto operates the latch by an actuator. Therefore, the operability of the robot can be controlled with the highest priority, so that the margin of the gripping angle of the hand is increased and the operability is improved.

According to the invention of claim 4 of the present invention, the connection
Flange on the receptacle side of the hand grip of the
Is rotatably attached to the hand grip, and the
It engages with the latch groove provided on the septum, and the receptacle
From the connector side to the anti-receptacle side.
With a shape that increases the amount of protrusion, the above
A movable arm having a latch having a contact surface with a latch groove,
Through the elastic body at the end of the connector inward connector side
Supported, and on the side opposite the receptacle from the connector body
A protruding flange and a sliding portion formed on the movable arm
A plug having a slider that slides is provided, and
A displacement is applied to the movable arm along with the displacement in the anti-receptacle direction.
To release the engagement between the latch and the latch groove,
Since the sliding part and slider are configured , the connector can be inserted simply by pushing it in the direction of the receptacle with the robot's hand. And the receptacle are engaged with each other, and even if a pulling force acts on the cable, the connector is not detached. Furthermore, in this state, even if the connector is pulled in the anti-receptacle direction by the hand of the robot, the latch remains in contact with the latch groove at the contact surface 27, so that the connector cannot be removed, so that the engagement between the connector and the receptacle can be confirmed. There is.

According to the invention of claim 5 of the present invention, the receptacle
Conducts signals by contacting connector pins provided on the tuckle
A movable body having a contact for
The hand grips the hand grip.
The movable body is detected and displaced, and the connector is released.
Contact and connector pins above when inserting / removing into / from the septum
When the robot hand is holding the connector, the connector pin and the contact do not contact, so the connector can be inserted into the receptacle without contact resistance between the connector pin and the contact. Since the connector pin comes into contact with the contact when the connector is released, the connector can be inserted into the receptacle with a small pushing force, and there is no relative slip between the connector pin and the contact, so that the contact reliability of the contact surface is not reduced.

According to the invention of claim 6 of the present invention, the movable part
Or a rotary shaft for rotatably supporting the movable arm, since the direct connection between the member for supporting the rotary shaft of an elastic material, also movable portion
Does not occur relative slip supporting portion of the movable arm, the rotation resistance of the movable portion or the movable arm does not vary with respect to repeated use, the effect of improving the reliability of the rotating support.

According to the invention of claim 7 of the present invention, the connection
Pulling force with pulling back cord for each
The connector pin and the contact part are exposed.
Cover, guides for storing each cover, and
When the connector is engaged with the receptacle, it is opposed to the above.
Displace the covers and store them in the guides,
Since the protrusions that can be opened are provided , the connector pins and contacts can be used together even when the connector and the receptacle are separated.
Since there is no Rukoto exposed to space, by ultraviolet rays and atomic oxygen present in the space, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the contact is deteriorated.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Explanation of code

[Correction method] Change

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[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 hand gripping portion 2 insertion portion into receptacle 3 , 3a, 3b flange 4 protrusion 5 axis aligning protrusion 6 receptacle 7 taper guide 8 notch 10 receptacle flange 11 , 11a, 11b, 11c hand 12 , 12a , 12b Connector pin 13 Rotating arm 14 Spring 15 Latch 16 Latch groove 17 Grip detection part 18 Contact plate 19 Spring 20 Force detection element 21 Actuator 22 Elastic body 23 Plug 24 Flange 25 Slider 26 Guide 27 Contact surface 28 Movable body 29 surface 30 link 31 spring 32 contact 35 spring 36 spring 37 places it support base 51 connector guide 52 guide holes 53 holding table 54 cover guide 55 cover 56 pin 57 pulley 58 retraction cord 59 springs 60 projection 61 the outer peripheral portion 62 insertion hole 63 Caused 64 socket 65 cover guide 66 cover

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 2]

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 6

[Correction method] Change

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[Figure 6]

[Procedure correction 6]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 7

[Correction method] Change

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[Figure 7]

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A hand grip has flanges at both ends,
A protrusion is provided between the flanges of the connectors to uniquely determine the attitude of the connector with respect to the hand when the hand grips the grip.The connector is provided with an axis alignment guide, and the receptacle has a A space connector characterized in that a tip portion of a portion to be fitted with the connector is made larger than the fitting portion and further a groove for axial alignment is provided. 2. A hand grip has flanges at both ends,
A switch that detects contact with the hand is provided on a part of the hand grip, and a latch having a movable part is provided on a part of the hand grip, and when the switch detects contact with the hand, the latch moves in the radial direction of the plug. A space connector characterized in that it is displaced and separated from the latch groove provided in the receptacle, and the latch is projected from the connector when there is no contact with the hand. 3. A plurality of force detectors are provided on the hand grip,
When the hand gripper supports the latch via the movable part and detects that the hand grips the hand gripper, the movable part is operated to displace the latch to the plug side, and the latch and the latch groove provided on the receptacle are 3. The space connector according to claim 2, wherein the latch is protruded from the connector when there is no contact with the hand. 4. A flange is provided on the receptacle side of the hand grip portion, a flange is provided on the anti-receptacle side of the plug supported by the hand grip portion via an elastic body, and the movable plug supported by the hand grip portion is provided on the plug. A contact that contacts the arm is provided, and it is configured to give a displacement to the movable part that supports the latch via the slider.The amount of protrusion of the latch from the connector increases as it goes from the receptacle side to the anti-receptacle side. The space connector is characterized in that the contact surface with the latch groove provided in the receptacle is formed on the end surface of the latch opposite to the receptacle. 5. A movable body, which contacts a connector pin provided on the receptacle and has a contact for conducting a signal, is spring-supported on the connector, and the movable body is displaced by detecting that the hand grips a hand gripping portion. The space connector characterized by contacting and separating the contact point and the connector pin. 6. The space connector according to claim 2, wherein a rotary shaft for rotatably supporting the movable part and a member for supporting the rotary shaft are directly connected by an elastic body. . 7. A cover to which a pulling force is applied by a pullback cord is formed to be housed in a connector and a guide provided in a receptacle, and a projection is provided at a position of the receptacle and the connector facing each other to form the connector. A space connector characterized in that a connector pin and a contact portion are opened by displacing respective covers with respective protrusions when engaging with a receptacle.