JPH07240243A - Terminal base with cover - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a cover from coming off by increasing an engaging force when the cover is attached to a terminal base by mutual engagement. CONSTITUTION:A terminal part 22 is formed on the upper surface of a main body case 21 and also a side wall 31 is formed as surrounding the terminal part 22 from both sides. The terminal part 22 is connected to a connector 29 via a printed wiring board 26 housed in the main body case 21. A cover 35 having an opening part 39 formed thereon is attached to the main body case 21 by mutual engagement. That is, an engaging lug 40 is formed in a part positioned on both sides of the opening part 39 on a side wall 36 opposed to the cover 35 and this engaging lug 40 is engaged with an engaging recessed part 32 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 31. A regulating rib 41 is formed on the cover 35 and this regulating rib 41 is engagingly locked on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal block with a cover provided with a cover having an opening.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a load is controlled by a sequence controller based on the detection states of various detection switches such as a photoelectric switch, a proximity switch, and a pressure switch. In this case, in the configuration in which the signal indicating that the detection switch is in the detection state is output in parallel to the sequence controller, the wiring work between the detection switch and the sequence controller is extremely troublesome, so the wiring work is simplified. A wire-saving device is provided for this purpose.
This wire-saving device converts a detection signal from a plurality of connected detection switches into a serial signal and transmits it, and a serial signal from this transmission terminal for parallel signals corresponding to each detection switch. It is composed of a reception transmission terminal that converts the data into a sequence and outputs it to the sequence controller. Therefore, since the wiring between the transmission terminal and the reception terminal can be a serial signal line, the wiring between the detection switch and the sequence controller can be greatly reduced.

The applicant of the present application has previously filed an application of Japanese Patent Application No. 5-64081 as a transmission terminal of this type of wire-saving device. This is devised to simplify the connection between the detection switch and the terminal. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the transmission terminal 1 is provided with the connector 2 and the connector 2 outputs the connector output. By connecting the connector 4 of the type detection switch 3 (an optical fiber type photoelectric switch is shown in the figure), the detection switch 3 can be electrically connected to the transmission terminal 1 through the connectors 2 and 4. Therefore, as compared with the configuration in which the cable of the cable output type detection switch is screwed, the connection work of the detection switch to the transmission terminal 1 and the installation work of the detection switch can be greatly simplified.

By the way, the transmission terminal having the above structure is
Since the connector output type detection switch is connectable, the cable output type detection switch cannot be connected to the transmission terminal, which is inconvenient for the user who uses the cable output type detection switch. Therefore, the applicant of the present application has created a terminal block that enables a cable output type detection switch to be connected to the transmission terminal having the above configuration.

24 to 26 are a vertical side view, a front view and a rear view of a terminal block created by the present applicant. 24 to 26, the main body case 5 is formed in a shape that can be mounted on the transmission terminal 1 having the above-described configuration. Further, a plurality of terminal portions 6 are arranged in a staircase pattern on the main body case 5, and a connector 7 is integrated on the back surface. A printed wiring board 8 is housed in the main body case 5, and the printed wiring board 8 allows the terminals 6 to be formed.
Are connected to the connector 7. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27, the cable of the detection switch 9 (a photoelectric switch is shown in the figure) is connected to the terminal portion 6 of the transmission terminal 5 with the connector 7 of the main body case 5 connected to the connector 2 of the transmission terminal 1. By connecting 10, the cable output type detection switch 9 can be electrically connected to the transmission terminal 1.

By the way, the main body case 5 has a terminal portion 6
A cover 11 for protecting the is attached. An opening 12 is formed on the front surface of the cover 11, and the cable 10 of the detection switch 9 connected to the terminal portion 6 passes through the opening 12 when the cover 11 is mounted on the body case 5. Has become. Here, the cover 1
The opening 12 of No. 1 is designed to be wide so that a cable having a large diameter can pass through, assuming connection of various detection switches.

Here, as a structure for mounting the cover 11 on the main body case 5, the front end and the rear end of the cover 11 are engaged with the main body case 5. In this case, as the engagement of the front end of the cover 11, the engaging claw 14 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opposing side wall 13 located on both sides of the opening 12 in the cover 11 and facing the outer peripheral surface of the main body case 5. An engaging recess 15 that engages with the engaging claw 14 is formed, and the engaging claw 14 is engaged with the engaging recess 15. Then, to remove the cover 11 from the main body case 5, by pulling up the finger hook portion 16 formed at the rear end of the cover 11 to release the engagement between the rear end of the cover 11 and the main body case 5, The engagement of the front end of the cover 11 can be easily released.

[0008]

By the way, the cover 11
The opposing side walls 13 located on both sides of the opening 12 of the
Since the second side is open, its strength is low and it is easily deformed. In particular, since the width of the opening 12 is set to be large as described above, there is a situation in which the opposing side wall 13 is easily deformed. However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the engaging claws 14 are formed on the opposing side wall 13 which is easily deformed in this manner in order to realize a structure in which both ends of the cover 11 are engaged with the main body case 5. When a force that causes the opposing side wall 13 to open is applied to the cover 11, the engagement between the engagement claw 14 and the engagement recess 15 is released, and the cover 11 easily falls off the main body case 5. There are drawbacks.

As a means for solving the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is conceivable to set the opening 12 of the cover 11 to be narrow, but this limits the range of cables that can pass through the opening 12 to a large extent and is easy to use. Becomes worse.
It is also conceivable to increase the strength of the opposing side wall 13 by setting the thickness dimension of the cover 11 large, but with such a configuration, the overall width dimension becomes large,
It cannot be installed on the transmission terminal 1.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to mount a cover having an opening to a main body case by engaging the cover with a large width while setting the width of the opening large. It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal block that does not become large and can prevent the cover from easily falling off the main body case.

[0011]

A terminal block with a cover according to the present invention is provided with a main body case having a terminal portion for cable connection,
A rectangular container-shaped cover having a pair of opposed side walls which is mounted on the main body case so as to cover the terminal portion and is located on the outer peripheral surface of the main body case in the mounted state, and the opposed side walls of the cover are provided. An opening is formed on a side wall adjacent to the main body case, through which the cable connected to the cable connecting terminal passes, and the cover is attached to the main body case. An engaging member that engages portions of opposite side walls of the opening located on both sides of the opening with the outer peripheral surface of the main body case, and the space between the engaging members expands with the cover attached to the main body case. Is provided with a regulation member for regulating the above.

Further, a main body case having a terminal portion for cable connection is provided, and a pair of opposed side walls are mounted on the main body case so as to cover the terminal portion and located in the inner peripheral surface of the main body case in the mounted state. An opening for allowing a cable connected to the cable connecting terminal to pass through in a state where the cover is attached to the main body case on a side wall of the cover adjacent to each of the opposite side walls. And an engaging member that engages with the inner peripheral surface of the main body case the portions located on both sides of the opening in the opposing side wall of the cover when the cover is mounted on the main body case, A regulation member is provided to regulate the narrowing between the engagement members when the cover is mounted on the main body case.

In the above structure, the end portion of the cover, which is located on the side opposite to the opening, in the state where the regulating member maintains the engagement between the cover and the body case by the engaging member, is the body case. It is preferable to provide it at a position where the restricted state is released in a state of being separated by a predetermined distance or more from.

[0014]

According to the terminal block with a cover of claim 1, when the cover is attached to the main body case, the cover covers the cable connecting terminal portion, and the cable connected to the terminal portion opens the cover opening portion. Come to pass. Then, the engaging member engages the portions of the opposite side wall of the cover located on both sides of the opening with the outer peripheral surface of the main body case.
At this time, the restricting member restricts the expansion between the engaging members, so that even if a force that expands the opposing side wall of the cover acts, the restricting member causes the opposing side wall of the cover and the outer peripheral surface of the main body case to move. Will not be disengaged.

According to the terminal block with a cover of claim 2,
When the cover is mounted on the main body case, the engagement member engages the inner peripheral surface of the main body case with the portions of the opposite side walls of the cover located on both sides of the opening. At this time, the regulation member regulates the narrowing between the engaging members, so that even if a force that narrows the opposing side walls of the cover acts,
It is possible to prevent the engagement state between the cover and the main body case from being easily released.

According to the terminal block with a cover of claim 3,
When the end portion of the cover located on the side opposite to the opening is separated from the main body case by a predetermined distance or more, the regulation state of the regulation member is released. Therefore, like the terminal block with a cover according to the first or second aspect, it is possible to easily remove the cover from the main body case while increasing the engaging force between the cover and the main body case by the engagement of the engaging member.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a terminal block for connecting a transmission terminal will be described below with reference to FIGS.

7 to 12 are a vertical side view, a side view, a front view, a rear view, a plan view and a bottom view of the main body case, respectively. The body case 21 is configured to be connectable to the transmission terminal described in the conventional example (see FIGS. 19 to 21). That is, in FIG. 7 to FIG. 12, the upper surface of the main body case 21 is formed in a stepped shape of four steps, and the terminal portion 22 is formed in the stepped part. This terminal part 22
Is formed by embedding a nut 23 in the staircase portion and disposing a terminal fitting 24 on the upper surface of the nut 23 in a fixed state to the main body case 21. A terminal screw 25 penetrating the terminal fitting 24 is screwed onto the nut 23.
A cable is held between the terminal and the terminal fitting 24. A printed wiring board 26 is housed in the main body case 21, and one end of the terminal fitting 24 is connected to a predetermined wiring pattern of the printed wiring board 26.

An operation indicator light 27 is provided on the printed wiring board 26.
And an alarm indicator light 28 is connected to each indicator light 27,
28 projects from the upper end of the main body case 21. The operation indicator light 27 is lit when a detection signal is output from the detection switch connected to the terminal portion 22. Further, the alarm indicator lamp 28 is turned on when an alarm signal indicating that the operation state is unstable is output from the detection switch connected to the terminal portion 22.

A connector 29 having four connection pins 29a is mounted on the rear end surface of the main body case 21, and each connection pin 29a is connected to a predetermined wiring pattern of the printed wiring board 26. With the above configuration, each terminal portion 2
2 is connected to the corresponding connection pin 29a of the connector 29 through the printed wiring board 26. On the other hand, a DIN rail mounting portion 30 is formed on the bottom surface of the body case 21 so as to project therefrom.

Here, a pair of side walls 31 that surround the terminal portion 22 from both sides are formed on the upper portion of the main body case 21. Engagement recesses 32 are formed on the outer surfaces of both of the side walls 31 at positions that are front end portions. Further, locking groove portions 33 are formed on the inner peripheral surfaces of both the side walls 31 at positions rearward from the engagement concave portions 32 by a predetermined distance.
Then, at the rear end surface of the body case 21, the connector 29
Engaging claws 34 are formed on the upper part of the.

13 to 18 are vertical sectional side views, side views, and front views of the cover 35 mounted on the body case 21.
A rear view, a plan view, and a bottom view are shown, respectively. 13 to 18, the cover 35 is formed by molding a transparent resin into a rectangular container shape, and a pair of a pair of the cover 35 located on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 31 of the main body case 21 is attached to the main body case 21. It has opposite side walls 36. The opposing side wall 36 is formed so that the height dimension thereof becomes larger toward the front end portion corresponding to the staircase shape of the main body case 21. Further, on the opposite side wall 36, the main body case 21
A recessed portion 37 corresponding to the shape of the side wall 31 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 31. And
An inverted U-shaped opening 39 is formed in the side wall 38 of the side wall of the cover 35 adjacent to the opposite side wall 36.

Engaging claws 40 as engaging members are formed on the opposite side walls 36 of the cover 35 at positions located on both sides of the opening 39. A locking rib 41 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opposing side wall 36 at a position rearward of the engaging claw 40 by a predetermined distance as a restricting member directed in the vertical direction in the drawing. The tip end of the locking rib 41 projects into the recess 37 by a predetermined dimension, so that a predetermined gap is formed between the locking rib 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the opposite side wall 36. In addition, a portion of the tip end of the locking rib 41 facing the recess 37 is formed to be tapered.

On the other hand, an engaging hole 42 is formed in the rear end surface of the cover 35.
Is formed, and a finger hook portion 43 is formed so as to project at a portion below the engagement hole 42. Further, an arm portion 44 is formed on the back surface of the cover 35 so as to project.

1 to 6 are a vertical sectional side view, a side view, a front view, a rear view, a plan view and a bottom view of the main body case 21 to which the cover 35 is attached. 1 to 6, with the upper end of the side wall 31 of the main body case 21 positioned in the recess 37 of the cover 35, the engagement claw 40 of the cover 35 engages with the engagement recess 32 of the main body case 21. And the engaging hole 42 of the cover 35 is attached to the main body case 2
The cover 35 is attached to the main body case 21 in an engaged state by engaging with the first engaging claw 34. In this mounted state, the locking rib 41 formed on the cover 35 has the locking groove portion 33 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 of the main body case 21.
Will be locked in.

Further, the arm portion 44 formed on the lower surface of the cover 35 is locked to the upper end portion of the body case 21, whereby the movement of the cover 35 in the front-rear direction with respect to the body case 21 is restricted.

In order to connect the detection switch to the transmission terminal shown in FIGS. 19 to 21 through the terminal block having the above structure, first, while connecting the connector 29 of the main body case 21 to the connector 46 of the transmission terminal 45, the DIN is connected. The rail mounting portion 30 is mounted on the DIN rail portion 47 of the transmission terminal 45 (see FIG. 20). As a result, each terminal portion 22 of the terminal block is electrically connected to the transmission terminal 45 through the connectors 29 and 46.

Subsequently, the cover 35 is removed from the main body case 21. That is, when the finger hook 43 of the cover 35 is lifted upward, the engagement hole 42 at the rear end of the cover 35 comes off the engagement claw 34 of the main body case 21. Further, when the finger hook portion 43 is lifted upward, the locking rib 41 of the cover 35 is
Moves above the side wall 31 of the main body case 21 and the locked state with the side wall 31 is released (FIG. 21).
reference). In this state, since only the engaging claw 40 located at the front end of the cover 35 is engaged with the main body case 21, the cover 35 can be easily removed from the main body case 21 by releasing the engagement. .

Then, the detection switch 48 is attached to the terminal portion 22.
Cable 4 (showing photoelectric switch in FIG. 19)
After connecting 9 to a predetermined terminal portion 22, a cover 35 is attached to the terminal portion 22. At this time, the cable 49 connected to the terminal portion 22 passes through the opening 39 of the cover 35.

When the transmission terminal 45 is driven in the above connected state, power is supplied from the transmission terminal 45 to the detection switch 48, so that the detection switch 48 performs a detection operation according to the power supply. When the detection switch 48 is in the detection state, a detection signal is output from the detection switch 48 to the transmission terminal 45, so that a serial signal corresponding to the detection signal is output from the transmission terminal 45 to the outside.

According to the above structure, the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 of the main body case 21 is locked near the engaging claws 40 formed on the opposite side walls 36 located on both sides of the opening 39 of the cover 35. By forming the locking rib 41, the engaging claw 40
The engagement force with respect to the main body case 21 is increased so that the opposing side walls 36 located on both sides of the opening 39 of the cover 35 are prevented from being expanded and deformed when the cover 35 is attached to the main body case 21. Therefore, compared with the conventional example in which the opposite side wall corresponding to the opening of the cover is simply engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the side wall of the main body case, a force for expanding the opposite side wall 36 of the cover 35 from the outside is generated. Even if it works, it is possible to prevent the cover 35 from easily coming off the main body case 21.

Further, the state in which the locking ribs 41 are locked covers the cover 3
Since the cover 35 can be easily removed from the main body case 21 by releasing the rear end of the cover 5 while lifting it up for a predetermined distance or more, as described above, the locking rib 41
Thus, the work of removing the cover 35 is not troublesome while increasing the engaging force of the engaging claw 40 with respect to the main body case 21.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows.
The cover 35 and the body case 21 are formed such that the outer peripheral surface of the opposing side wall 36 of the cover 35 is located on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 of the body case 21, and the opposing side wall 36 located on both sides of the opening 39 in the cover 35. An engaging claw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body case 21.
You may make it engage with the inner peripheral surface of. In this case, the locking rib 41 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the opposite side wall 36 of the cover 35, and the locking rib 41 is locked to the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 31 of the main body case 21 with the cover 35 mounted on the main body case 21. You may allow it. Further, the main body case 21 may be formed with an engaging claw and a locking rib, the engaging claw may be engaged with the cover 35, and the cover 35 may be locked by the locking rib.

[0034]

As is apparent from the above description, the terminal block with a cover of the present invention has the following effects.

According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the cover is mounted on the main body case, the engaging members engage the portions of the opposite side walls of the cover located on both sides of the opening with the main body case. At the same time, the restriction member restricts the distance between the engaging members from changing, so that the engaging force between the cover and the main body case is increased and the engagement state between the cover and the main body case is increased. Can be prevented from being easily released.

According to the third aspect, when the end of the cover located on the side opposite to the opening is separated from the main body case by a predetermined distance or more, the engagement state of the engagement member is released. Like the terminal block with cover according to claim 1 or 2,
The cover can be easily removed from the main body case while increasing the engaging force between the cover and the main body case by the engagement of the engagement member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of a terminal block showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Side view of the terminal block

[Figure 3] Front view of the terminal block

[Figure 4] Rear view of the terminal block

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the terminal block.

[Figure 6] Bottom view of the terminal block

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view of the terminal block shown with the cover removed.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the terminal block shown with the cover removed.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the terminal block shown with the cover removed.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the terminal block shown with the cover removed.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the terminal block shown with the cover removed.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the terminal block with the cover removed.

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional side view of the cover.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the cover.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the cover.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the cover.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the cover.

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the cover.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the terminal block shown in a state of being attached to a transmission terminal.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the terminal block shown in a state of being attached to a transmission terminal.

FIG. 21 is a view corresponding to FIG. 20 showing a cover removing process.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a transmission terminal in a conventional example.

FIG. 23 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the transmission terminal with the detection switch attached.

FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional side view of the terminal block.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the terminal block.

FIG. 26 is a rear view of the terminal block.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the terminal block shown in a state of being attached to a transmission terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

21 is a main body case, 22 is a terminal part, 29 is a connector, 3
2 is an engaging concave portion, 33 is a locking groove portion, 34 is an engaging claw, 35 is a cover, 36 is a side wall facing, 38 is a side wall, 39 is an opening,
40 is an engagement claw (engagement member), 41 is a regulation rib (regulation member), 45 is a transmission terminal, 48 is a detection switch, 4
9 is a cable.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main body case having a cable connection terminal portion, and a pair of opposed side walls which are mounted on the main body case so as to cover the terminal portion and are located on the outer peripheral surface of the main body case in the mounted state. A rectangular container-shaped cover, and an opening formed on a side wall adjacent to each of the opposite side walls of the cover for allowing a cable connected to the cable connection terminal to pass in a state where the cover is attached to the main body case, An engagement member that engages with the outer peripheral surface of the main body case, portions of the opposite side walls of the cover located on both sides of the opening in a state where the cover is attached to the main body case; A terminal block with a cover, comprising: a restricting member that restricts expansion between the engaging members in a mounted state. 2. A main body case having a cable connection terminal portion, and a pair of opposing side walls which are mounted on the main body case so as to cover the terminal portion and which are located on the inner peripheral surface of the main body case in the mounted state. And a rectangular container-shaped cover, and an opening formed on a side wall adjacent to each of the facing side walls of the cover to allow a cable connected to the cable connecting terminal to pass while the cover is mounted on the main body case. An engaging member that engages portions of the opposite side walls of the cover located on both sides of the opening with an inner peripheral surface of the main body case with the cover attached to the main body case; and the cover is the main body. A terminal block with a cover, comprising: a restricting member that restricts narrowing between the engaging members when mounted on the case. 3. The regulating member has an end portion of the cover located on the opposite side of the opening portion from the main body case, the end portion of the cover being located on a side opposite to the opening portion while maintaining the engagement between the cover and the main body case by the engaging member. The device is provided at a position where the restricted state is released in a state of being separated by a distance or more.
Or the terminal block with a cover described in 2.